Friends of the UNCG Libraries

Display in Jackson Library Opens "A Dickens of a Celebration" at UNCG

2012-01-26T18:00:00.003-05:00

UNCG's celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens opens with "Windows to the World: The Immortal Works of Charles Dickens," now on exhibit in the Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of Jackson Library through March 30."A Dickens of a Celebration" will continue with a series of programs sponsored by the University Libraries, the English Department, the Freshman Seminar Program, the Atlantic World Research Network, the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, the Greensboro Public Library and others. For a schedule of events, including visits by novelist Matthew Pearl and scholars Eliot Engel and Eileen Gillooly, as well as a birthday party, a book discussion and films at the Greensboro Public Library, see http://tinyurl.com/DickensUNCG or http://www.uncgfol.blogspot.com/2012/01/dickens-of-celebration.html

Join Us on Thursday, January 26 for a talk by Professor Patrick Lee Lucas

2012-01-23T12:16:00.007-05:00

In December, 2011, the University Libraries published the first volume of The Journal of Learning Spaces, a new peer-reviewed, open access title that provides a scholarly, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of learning space design, operation, pedagogy, and assessment. In celebration of this achievement, we have invited Interior Architecture professor, Patrick Lee Lucas to discuss learning spaces from a design perspective.

Join us at 4 pm on Thursday, January 26 in the Maple Room, EUC for Dr. Lucas's talk: "SPACES THAT LEARN : LEARNING SPACES."

Dr. Lucas describes, "As repositories of knowledge, libraries expand and contract as media and user needs shift over time. According to architect Stewart Brand, institutional buildings have the most restriction in their form and the greatest opportunity for adaptability as a a result. In this presentation, I will trace the evolution of libraries as learning spaces, and offer a perspective on the latest trends in learning space design."

"The World Is My Garden"--Artist C.P. Logan in Jackson Library

2012-01-12T13:34:00.006-05:00

Local artist C.P. Logan is exhibiting her work in Jackson Library through May 2012. The exhibit, entitled "The World Is My Garden," is installed in the first floor Reading Room.

Logan, who has taught hundreds of artists in her Greensboro studio since the 1990s, regularly leads painting excursions all over the world. She has exhibited in many countries, including in Hungary where she had a one-woman show at Budapest's National Opera House. Twice featured in Artist's Magazine, Logan is well known in Greensboro as the original founder of the Artstock Annual Open Studio Tour. Logan majored in art and art education at Virginia Tech and has continued her studies at UNCG. For more information about Logan, please visit her website.

Please join us on Thursday, February 2, between 5-7 pm, in the Jackson Library Reading Room for a reception to celebrate the exhibit. All of Logan's paintings are on sale, and a percentage of each sale helps to support the collections and programs of the University Libraries.

Poet Eleanor Ross Taylor Dies

2012-01-10T09:05:00.006-05:00

Poet Eleanor Ross Taylor, 1940 graduate of Woman's College, has died. She was the author of six books and published numerous poems in literary journals over a fifty year career. The widow of author and former UNCG faculty member Peter Taylor, she died December 30 in Charlottesville, VA. Some of her papers are in the Hodges Special Collections Department of the University Libraries at UNCG.

For more about her life and career, see http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/03/2894402/poet-eleanor-ross-taylor-dies.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/eleanor-ross-taylor-poet-of-womens-lives-in-the-south-dies-at-91/2012/01/10/gIQALoIdpP_story.html

A Visit with Author Margaret Maron

2012-01-09T10:05:00.004-05:00

Linda Burr and I had the pleasure of visiting Margaret Maron at her home in Willow Spring on January 4, 2012. She has a beautiful home with lots of big windows to let in the sunlight! In addition to a wonderful lunch that she prepared for us (scrumptious homemade pea soup and salad), she also told us some great stories behind the plots of many of her books. She also gave us insight into how she does her research for each book. Plus, we were able to see the room in which she actually does her writing! Margaret sent us back to the Libraries with many books, manuscripts for four of her books, video and audio tapes of interviews, a coffee mug, and many other wonderful items for the Margaret Maron Collections housed in Hodges Special Collections and University Archives.

Posted by Rosann Bazirjian, Dean of University Libraries

A Dickens of a Celebration

2012-01-04T16:02:00.012-05:00

The year 2012 marks the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. UNCG will mark the occasion with a series of events sponsored by the University Libraries, the English Department, the Freshman Seminar Program, the Atlantic World Research Network, the Greensboro Public Library and others. As of January 3, these are the events scheduled. Follow this blog to learn about other events as they are scheduled.

Events at UNCG
Exhibit of Charles Dickens Collection
Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library 2nd Floor
9 a.m.—5 p.m. Monday-Friday, January 23—March 30, 2012

Grab a Book by Dickens display
Jackson Library, First Floor
February 2012

Friends of the UNCG Libraries book discussion of
Great Expectations,
led by Hepsie Roskelly, of the UNCG English Department
Monday, February 6 at 4 p.m.
Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library

Dickens's 200th Birthday Party/favorite readings
Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 2-4 p.m.
Cake and libations throughout
Brief readings beginning at about 3, followed by a toast to Dickens's memory
Drawing for copies of Matthew Pearl's The Last Dickens and Dickens's Mystery of Edwin Drood at 3:30
Humanities Faculty Lounge, Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building (MHRA), 3rd Floor
Sponsored by the English Department.

“Charles Dickens,” presented by Dr. Elliot Engel,
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 3 p.m.
Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library.
Sponsored by the Freshman Seminar Program.

Appearance by Matthew Pearl, author of
The Last Dickens and The Technologists,
Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House
Sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries

“Dickens, Our Contemporary,”
presented by Dr. Eileen Gillooly of Columbia University, Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library. Sponsored by the Atlantic World Research Network.

For more information about UNCG events, contact Barry Miller at 336-256-0112.

Greensboro Public Library Film
and Book Discussion Series
Film Screening: Tale of Two Cities (126 minutes) Thursday, February 9, Hemphill Branch @ 6:45 p.m. Classic 1935 version of Dickens” story of the French Revolution.

Film Screening: David Copperfield (131 minutes) Saturday, February 18, Hemphill Branch @ 3 p.m.
1935 MGM adaptation of Dickens novel that features W.C. Fields as Mr. Micawber and other great character actors such as Edna May Oliver and Basil Rathbone.

Film Screening: Great Expectations (118 minutes) Tuesday, February 21, Central Library @ 6:45 p.m.
Acclaimed 1946 adaptation of novel filmed by David Lean.

Book Discussion: Great Expectations
Tuesday, March 6, Central Library @ 7 p.m.

Film Screening: The Mystery of Charles Dickens
(90 minutes)
Wednesday, March 14, Benjamin Branch @ 7 p.m.
One-man play interweaves Dickens’ turbulent life story with some of his most memorable fictional characters—brought to life by Simon Callow’s breathtaking performance.

Film Screening: Oliver (145 minutes)
Saturday, March 17, Central Library @ 2:30 p.m.
1968 Best Picture Oscar winner is the musical adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Book Discussion: A Tale of Two Cities
Saturday, March 31, Hemphill Branch @ 4 p.m.

For more information about public library events, contact Ronald Headen at 336-373-2925.

Friends of the UNCG Libraries Annual Dinner

2012-01-03T13:50:00.001-05:00

Upcoming programs

2012-01-03T13:39:00.019-05:00

Jan. — Early March 2012
Friends of the UNCG Libraries Events

Thursday, January 19 — BOOKMARKS PRESENTS A CONVERSATION WITH KIM EDWARDS
with support from Friends of the UNCG Libraries
Elliott University Center Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. Admission charged. For tickets, see www.bookmarksnc.org

Thursday, January 26 — “Learn: Space: Learn“
presented by Patrick Lee Lucas, Interior Architecture. Maple Room, Elliott University Center, 4 p.m. Free.

February — A Dickens of a Celebration (Bicentennial celebration of the birth of Charles Dickens)

Monday, February 6 - Book Discussion of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, led by Hepsie Roskelly, English, Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 4 p.m. Free.

Thursday, March 1 - Matthew Pearl, author of The Technologists, and The Last Dickens, Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House. 7 p.m. Free.

Friday, March 2 — “Saving the Hansen House”
documentary film screening, co-sponsored by the
Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at the Greensboro Historical Museum, 8 p.m. Free.

Jackson Society Reviews Acquisitions by the Special Collections Department

2012-01-03T11:41:00.006-05:00

Members of the Jackson Society supporting the University Libraries at UNCG enjoyed a holiday gathering on December 8 to peruse and learn about some of the additions to the Special Collections over the past year. After guests enjoyed refreshments Dean of University Libraries Rosann Bazirjian welcomed and thanked those attending for their generosity and support, and Becky Megerian, past chair of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries described the Jackson Society and encouraged guests to join or renew their memberships. Bill Finley, Head of the Special Collections and University Archives Department, described some of the reasons for acquiring the items on display, emphasizing their research value as part of larger collections. Jackson Society members and guests were then invited to browse and handle the approximately thirty items laid out for their inspection, and the faculty and staff members in the Department were available to answer questions. Volumes on display included important editions of works by Twain, Dickens, Hawthorne, and Thoreau, along with interesting letters, artwork, and examples of the book arts. A keepsake catalogue of the materials, with descriptions, was given to attendees and is posted here for further review.

To join the Jackson Society, contact Linda Burr at 336-256-0184.

Celebrate the blues and support the University Libraries at UNCG

2011-11-30T09:13:00.007-05:00

Celebrate the blues! That’s the theme of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries annual dinner coming up on March 28, 2012 at the Elliott University Center on the UNCG campus.

That evening, the Friends will welcome William R. Ferris and Lorenzo (Logie) Meachum to the stage for an evening focusing on blues music. Ferris is a widely recognized leader in Southern studies, African American music and folklore, who has written or edited ten books and created fifteen documentary films. His book Give My Poor Heart Ease:Voices of the Mississippi Blues will be the basis of his presentation and will be featured at the book signing which follows. The former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and now teaching at UNC Chapel Hill, Ferris has conducted thousands of interviews with musicians ranging from the famous (B.B. King) to the unrecognized (Parchman Penitentiary inmates working in the fields).

Meachum, a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, is a blues musician and storyteller from Greensboro who has performed all over the world. He is especially known for his original work and his improvisational style.

Tickets are available for the entire evening, or for the program only, and go on sale January 10 from the UNCG Box Office at 336-334-4849 or http://www.uncg.edu/euc/boxoffice. Corporate and table sponsorships for the dinner are available by contacting Barry Miller at 336-256-0112 or Rachel Williams at 336-334-5372.

Film featuring UNCG Faculty Member Bob Hansen to be Screened March 2

2011-11-29T16:18:00.004-05:00

Saving the Hansen House is the story of UNCG Professor and Associate Dean Bob Hansen who buys a dilapidated 18th-century farmhouse in Bethania, a small North Carolina town near Winston-Salem.

Originally he planned to restore it and then maybe sell it and move on. But the house turns out to be something special, and the town is even more special. Before he knows it, he is putting down roots.

This one-hour documentary film chronicles the unique challenges and rewards of saving a 250-year-old house. Or, as the filmmakers Deni and Will McIntyre put it, a house that might save him.

The film will be screened at the Greensboro Historical Museum on Friday, March 2 at 8 p.m. The Friends of the UNCG Libraries and the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNCG to sponsor the screening in collaboration with the Greensboro Historical Museum. Admission is free. Both Hansen and the McIntyres will be present for a post-screening discussion of the film.

For more information, contact Barry Miller at 336-256-0112 or barry_miller@uncg.edu

My Story: Made Possible by NC Libraries

2011-11-28T16:49:00.004-05:00

Libraries in our state are changing lives every day, and we'd like to showcase the benefits people experience because of their libraries. To begin to capture these success stories, NC LIVE, of which UNCG is a part, launched a new webpage called "My Story: Made Possible by NC Libraries."

Library patrons across the state can use this form to submit their personal stories explaining why libraries have made a difference in their lives.

The objective is to raise awareness of the important role libraries play. These stories will be used for outreach and awareness purposes in various NC LIVE communication pieces and reports.

How can you help? It's easy!

Go to this website http://www.nclive.org/mystory and tell us about how UNCG’s University Libraries, or others in North Carolina, have made a difference in your life.

BOOKMARKS PRESENTS A CONVERSATION WITH KIM EDWARDS With Support from Friends of the UNCG Libraries

2011-11-22T11:51:00.012-05:00

Elliott University Center, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 7:30 PM.
Tickets go on sale December 1 from bookmarksnc.org

Kim Edwards’ debut novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, became an international sensation, selling more than four million copies in the United States and spending an unbelievable 122 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, 23 of those weeks in the number one spot. The book was deemed “The Book of the Year” in 2006 by USA Today, saying, “once you've read this heart wrenching story, it's easy to understand why it has connected with millions of readers.” Her collection of short stories, The Secrets of a Fire King, an alternate for the 1998 PEN/Hemingway Award, was rereleased in 2007.

On tour for the paperback release of The Lake of Dreams, A CONVERSATION WITH KIM EDWARDS, is her only North Carolina appearance. Edwards has won numerous awards, including a Whiting Award, a British Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Nelson Algren Award. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, Ploughshares, Zoetrope, Story, and The Paris Review and have received a National Magazine Award for excellence in Fiction. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she teaches writing at the University of Kentucky.

The program will be moderated by James Dodson. An award-winning journalist and author, Dodson serves as the Writer-in-Residence for The Pilot newspaper, Editor of the award-winning PineStraw Magazine, and Editor of O.Henry Magazine, a new arts and culture publication in Greensboro. His most recent book, A Son of the Game, was named “Top Golf Book of the Year” by the International Network of Golf, the same award his book Final Rounds won in 1997. In 2011, Dodson was named winner of the Donald Ross Award, given annually by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, for his significant literary contributions to the game of golf.

BOOKMARKS is a proud partner of this event with the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, a support organization for the University Libraries at UNCG. Since 1959, the Friends have been active in bringing authors and public figures to Greensboro to speak. Recent speakers have included Lee Smith and Hal Crowther, as well as Jill McCorkle, Clyde Edgerton, and Robert Morgan.

BOOKMARKS is a triad based literary nonprofit, whose mission is to champion literacy, promote cultural diversity through reading, and offer enrichment and education through literary experiences celebrating books and authors. The 2011 BOOKMARKS Festival of Books hosted 40 authors and brought 7,000 people to Downtown Winston-Salem. Monthly author events are held throughout the year including fundraisers such as our “Conversations With” events. By the end of 2011, BOOKMARKS’ authors will have visited with 2,500 children in local schools across the triad.

Additional media support provided by the News & Record, WFDD 88.5 FM, and the Winston-Salem Journal. Books will be for sale both before and after the program. Kim Edwards will sign books immediately following the program.

Questions for Kim Edwards may be sent before the program by e-mailing: info@bookmarksbookfestival.org.

General Admission: Includes one ticket for the Conversation Event, followed by a book signing after the program, and free parking in the Oakland deck. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
$12.00 - General Admission Tickets for Students if purchased in advance (Please be prepared to show your Student ID when you present your ticket.)
$15.00 - General Admission Tickets if purchased in advance
$22.00 - General Admission Tickets if purchased at the door (This option may not be available if the event is sold out.)

Premier Admission: Begins at 6 p.m.
$75.00 - This includes one ticket for the Conversation Event at 7:30 p.m. with reserved premier seating and free parking in the Walker deck as well as a private reception with Kim Edwards beginning at 6:00 p.m. featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, a paperback copy of The Lake of Dreams and a book signing. ($25.00 is tax deductible). Specific details about parking (including a map) will be sent prior to the event.

Visit bookmarksnc.org to purchase tickets with your credit card through our 24 hour / 7 days a week ticketing system.

General Admission for Groups of 10 or more: Before January 10, please contact BOOKMARKS: groups@bookmarksbookfestival.org / 336-460-4722 for $12 group tickets. This will not be handled through our ticketing system.

All sales are final and there will be no refunds. Should the event be cancelled due to inclement weather, tickets can be used for a future “Conversations With” event during the 2012 year sponsored by BOOKMARKS. Further information will be provided by e-mail to all ticket holders under these circumstances.

Sharp-eyed Hawk Knows Where to Go for Information

2011-11-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

Suzanne Angel captured this image of a hawk atop Jackson Library recently.

Diversity through a Global Lens: Hong Kong Academic Libraries

2011-11-03T15:16:00.003-04:00

Please Join Us on Friday, November 4 at 10 am in the Kirkland Room for "Diversity through a Global Lens: Hong Kong Academic Libraries" a talk by Haipeng Li.

Haipeng Li is currently University Librarian at the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), leading the university libraries in strategic planning and development, among many other responsibilities. Prior to the position at HKBU, he was Associate Director of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, responsible for research support services, coordination of personnel administration, and library planning, assessment, and innovation. He also had responsibilities for initiatives to expand outreach, engagement, collaborations, and fundraising for the Dana Library on campus. Before Rutgers, he had served as reference librarian and outreach coordinator at the Oberlin College in Ohio, the University of Arizona Library and the Arizona State University Libraries.

Haipeng Li is active in professional services. He is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color 2012 (JCLC), Chair of the ALA IRC Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, served as President of the Chinese American Librarians Association 2006-2007 (CALA) and has been Executive Director of CALA since 2008. He has been actively promoting collaboration and exchange between libraries in China and the U.S. He is also a member of the Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee in Hong Kong.

His research areas include information literacy, library management and diversity, international librarianship and global collaborations. He is frequently invited to speak at library events and serves as a consultant for several academic libraries in China.

Documentary Film "The Day Carl Sandburg Died" to be Screened and Discussed on November 1

2011-10-27T15:01:00.003-04:00

Join us for a screening of "The Day Carl Sandburg Died" on Tuesday, November 1 at 7:00 pm in the Elliott University Center Auditorium.

Carl Sandburg died in July of 1967, but director Paul Bonesteel finds his life story and his creative legacy as relevant and provocative as it was in 1916 when his "Chicago Poems" changed American poetry. “Labor unrest, global wars, socialism, immigration and race issues… this was the subject matter that fueled Sandburg for much of his poetry and writing that shocked the world.” comments Bonesteel. “The intensity of his work was over simplified later in his life. He was both an anarchist and a deeply patriotic American.”

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries are pleased to present a screening of Paul Bonesteel’s new documentary film, “The Day Carl Sandburg Died.” Bonesteel will introduce and discuss the 82 minute film on Tuesday, November 1, beginning at 7 pm in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. Please join us in re-examining the life and work of the poet/biographer/ troubadour/ journalist/philosopher who spent the last years of his life at Flat Rock in the North Carolina mountains.

The Day Carl Sandburg Died was more than six years in the making. It has a cast of more than twenty notable scholars, performers and Sandburg family members. Sandburg’s daughter Helga Sandburg Crile, Pete Seeger, Norman Corwin and the late Studs Terkel contribute to the film along with contemporary poets Marc Smith, Ted Kooser and others. Also contributing significantly to the film is Sandburg biographer Penelope Niven, who lives in Winston-Salem.

In focus at UNCG: Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer speaks Oct. 19 in Jackson Library, by Michelle Hines

2011-10-17T10:36:00.001-04:00

Across a front page featuring one of Matthew Lewis’ pictures, the iconic image of a white girl and a black girl swinging together, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee scrawled “Just Beautiful!” with a red marker.

A few years later, in 1975, Bradlee would summon Lewis to his office to tell him he had won the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. Lewis, an African American, was the first Post photographer to win a Pulitzer.

“It’s about capturing that emotion on film,” Lewis says of his calling. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Lewis, who now lives in Thomasville, will share his photographs and photographs by his grandfather, Harvey James Lewis, who forged a career in photography in the late 1800s, Wednesday, Oct. 19, in Jackson Library.

The event, moderated by Jeri Rowe of the Greensboro News & Record, is sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG University Libraries. Lewis will begin his presentation at 5 p.m. in the Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of the library; it is free and open to the public.

As a boy, Lewis often toted his grandfather’s heavy panoramic camera. He has a print from that camera that measures a whopping 31 ½ inches by 9 ½ inches.

“He’s the story, not me,” he says of “HJ” as his grandfather was known. HJ was the son of indentured slaves, and largely self-taught.

Lewis’ father was also a photographer, working for the Pittsburgh Courier, an African American paper with a circulation over 400,000.

Yet Lewis never thought of going into photography. Never.

He wanted to be a sax player but quit on the spot when he got “blown out” during a jam session at Howard University. He just couldn’t improvise.

Finally, after years of grinding away in a steel foundry, an “echo” came into his mind. “I can become a photographer,” it said. Clear as crystal.

Since then, Lewis’ subjects have included everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedys to Queen Elizabeth II. He retired to Thomasville, although he continues to take photos as staff photographer for the Thomasville Times.

Lewis, a humble man, loves to repeat a quip from a close friend: “Matthew’s been in and out of focus his whole life,” she said.

For more information on Lewis visit, contact Barry Miller at barry_miller@uncg.edu or 336-256-0112.

What Does It Mean to Be a Latino Poet?--Join us on October 25 at 4:00 pm

2011-10-12T17:07:00.007-04:00

The Diversity Committee of the University Libraries is pleased to present an event with one of UNCG's distinguished faculty members and renowned poet, Dr. Mark Smith Soto. Dr. Mark Smith-Soto will discuss his writing career and the ways in which his ethnic identity has influenced both the perception and creation of his poetry.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 25, at 4:00 pm in Kirkland Room, Elliott University Center.

Dr. Smith-Soto was born in his father's hometown, Washington D.C., and reared in his mother's native country, Costa Rica. He is Professor of Spanish, editor of International Poetry Review, and former director of the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNCG. A 2005 winner of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in creative writing, his poetry has appeared in Nimrod, The Sun, Poetry East, Quarterly West, Callaloo, Literary Review, Kenyon Review and many other literary journals. The author of three award-winning poetry chapbooks, his first full-length collection, Our Lives Are Rivers, was published in 2003 by the University Press of Florida and Any Second Now, by Main Street Rag Press in 2006. Eleven of his short one-act plays have been produced locally by the Greensboro Playwrights' Forum. A verse play, Deal With This: Trio From The Holocaust Museum, produced by Theatre Orange of the Arts Center of Carrboro and Chapel Hill was one of ten winners of their 2003 "Ten by Ten in the Triangle" festival competition and was published in the anthology Thirty-five by Ten (Dramatic Publishers, 2005). His most recent publication is the bilingual Fever Season: Selected Poetry of Ana Istarú (Unicorn Press, 2010).

Friends Book Sale - Reopened for business

2011-10-12T15:43:00.002-04:00

The ongoing Friends of the UNCG Libraries book sale will restart on Tuesday, October 18. Books will be restocked each Tuesday morning during the active part of each semester (monthly during the summer).

UNCG at the North Carolina Library Association biennial meeting

2011-10-12T12:20:00.006-04:00

UNCG librarians and staff, as well as LIS faculty and students, were very active participants in the recent North Carolina Library Association biennial meeting in Hickory. Not counting alumni, we counted 24 presentations involving UNCG personnel and 9 poster sessions. Assistant Director Mike Crumpton also served on the Program Committee.

Presentations from UNCG included the following:

Educating Community College Librarians
Nora Bird, UNCG & Mike Crumpton, UNCG

Everybody Teaches! Creating Effective Online e-learning Experiences
Beth Filar Williams, UNCG & Amy Archambault, UNCG
Lauren Pressley, Wake Forest University

Establishing the Library in the Cultural Fabric of the Community: Ten Tips for Linking the Library to the World
Barry K. Miller, UNCG

Lessons Learned: Getting the Most Out of Libguides
Jennifer Balance, CPCC
Randall Bowman, Elon University
Michelle Cosby, NC Central Law Library
Jenny Dale, UNCG
Nina Exner, NC A&T University
Susan Wolf Neilson, Wake County Public Libraries
Anders Selhorst, Guilford Tech Community College
Kathy Shields, High Point University

Creating Library Spaces of the Future
LaTesha Velez, UNCG & Michael Crumpton, UNCG

Public Library Design and Technology
Anthony Chow, UNCG; Jacquelyn White, UNCG & Camilla Bahr, UNCG

The Online Literary Map of North Carolina
Jennifer Motszko, UNCG & Kathelene McCarty Smith, UNCG

The Vinegar Syndrome: A Death Threat to the Microfilm Collection
Stephen H. Dew, UNCG

"Do We Really Need to Pay for this Anymore?" The best free v. fee sources for statistics and country research
Lynda Kellam, UNCG
Steve Cramer, UNCG

Technical Services: Changing Workflows, Changing Processes, Personnel Restructuring…Oh My
Christine Fischer, UNCG & Michael Winecoff, UNCC

To Fine or Not to Fine – Are Fines or Rewards More Effective Motivators?
Anthony Chow, UNCG; Chase Baity, UNCG; David Rachlin, NC A&T University;
Christian Burris, Wake Forest University

Thinking Practically About Metadata for Projects in Your Library
Anna Craft, UNCG

Embedded Librarians in North Carolina: A Panel Discussion
Allan Scherlen, Appalachian State University
Jennifer Balance, Central Piedmont Community College
Joli McClelland, Queens University
Steve Cramer, UNCG

Teaching Paraprofessionals the "Techy" Side of the Library
Rita Van Duinen, Central Carolina Community College
Michael Crumpton, UNCG

Patrons Left to Their Own Devices: Library Databases and E-Readers
Lynda Kellam, UNCG
Amy Harris, UNCG
Lauren Pressley, Wake Forest University
Mark Sanders, ECU

"Good Night and Good Luck" Television News from Murrow to
Colbert
Geoffrey Baym, UNCG, Department of Media Studies

SECOND GENERAL SESSION: OGILVIE LECTURE
Mike Wasilick, Public Libraries
Cathy Campbell, Community College Libraries
Tamika Barnes, Special Libraries
Dana Sally, Academic Libraries
Ed Williams, Future of the Library Task Force
Michael Crumpton, UNCG, Moderator

Free & Easy 2.0: Online Tools to Support Teaching, Learning &
Productivity
Beth Filar Williams, UNCG & Mendy Ozan, UNCG

Taking the Next Step: Using Spreadsheets to Process Library Statistics & Database Results
Gwen Exner, NC Knows & Lynda Kellam, UNCG

What does a Typical Library Website
Look Like?
Anthony Chow, UNCG; Michelle Bridges, UNCG; Amy Figley, UNCG
Patricia Commander, Winston Salem State University

Meet ADDIE: Designing Successful Learning Outcomes
Jenny Dale, UNCG; Amy Gustavson, UNCG & Amy Harris Houk, UNCG

For Service or Profit: How come our library café is not profitable? A Case Study of a Downtown Public Library Café
Anthony Chow, UNCG; Barry Bell, UNCG; Erin Price, UNCG

Real Learnings Connection Project
Mike Crumpton, UNCG & Nora Bird, UNCG

Transforming the Education of Diverse Students: Learning Through Dialogue with the Next Generation of Librarians
Clara M. Chu, UNCG & Sha Li Zhang, UNCG

Poster sessions involving UNCG librarians, library staff members, LIS faculty, and students included:

Un-Hushed: Planning and Executing a Really Fun, Super Cool Library Conference
Alesha Lackey, UNCG & Ingrid Ruffin, High Point University

Facebook as a Social Marketing Tool for Public Libraries
Anne Silva, UNCG Library and Information Studies

UNCG's Instructional Tech Toolkit: Online tools to support teaching, and learning
Beth Filar Williams, & Amy Archambault, UNCG

Social Media in North Carolina Public Libraries
Fatih Oguz, Leatha Miles-Edmonson, Ingrid Ruffin, Cameron Smith &
Laura Soito, UNCG

The Online Literary Map of North Carolina – Future Directions
Kathelene Smith & Jennifer Motszko, University of North Carolina
Greensboro

Diversity Initiatives: An insider's perspective
LaTesha Velez, University of North Carolina,
Greensboro

Ten Libraries, One goal: Recruiting Future Librarians with Diverse Backgrounds through a Collaborative Project in North Carolina
Sha Zhang,University of North Carolina at Greensboro Libraries

An LIS Student Intern Is Not a Volunteer: Making Interns Work With Your Organization
Nora Bird, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Incorporating Technology In The Library: Keeping Your Students Engaged Using Current Web Technologies
Tracy Pizzi,University of North Carolina at Greensboro LIS Department

University Libraries Perform Well in Surveys

2011-10-11T14:34:00.002-04:00

In Spring of 2010 the University of North Carolina (UNC) system administered the biennial Sophomore and Senior surveys to all 16 campuses. Several questions about the campus libraries are included in each survey.

The Senior Survey included four questions about libraries. Approximately 1,000 UNCG students answered each question. On a four-point scale with 4 as “excellent” the UNCG University Libraries received the following scores:

• Hours of operation (3.7)
• Staff responsiveness (3.5)
• Access to databases and collections (3.6)
• Library services overall (3.6)

We exceeded the UNC average for these questions in each category. Because these questions have remained the same for over 10 years we are able to get a longitudinal picture of our progress; our scores have improved each year.

UNCG had a 57% response rate to the Sophomore Survey. It included six questions about libraries using a five-point scale with 5 as “very satisfied.” The University Libraries received good results from sophomores as well:

• Helpfulness of Staff (4.1)
• Space for Individual Work (4.2)
• Space for group work (4.1)
• Training/instruction for using library and information resources (3.9)
• Availability of information/materials I need for my class assignments (4.1)
• Access to online library resources (4.2)
• Hours of operation (4.4)

These questions were new in 2010 so we don’t have longitudinal data. We did meet or exceed the UNC average for all library questions.

submitted by Kathy Crowe, Associate Dean of the University Libraries

Unlocking UNCG's History One Building at a Time

2011-09-29T12:09:00.005-04:00

As the current construction projects remind us, our campus is always undergoing change. Where once there was a lake, we now have a three-hole golf course. Walker Avenue no longer connects Aycock and Tate Streets because Jackson Library stands in the way. And the McIver Building is the second of that name, and the first McIver Building replaced another structure on that site. Last weekend, the University Libraries began a project to connect our campus to its past. We placed QR codes (see picture) in three spots so that returning alumni, armed with smart phones, could instantly be whisked back in time and watch changes to UNCG's landscape unfold. We hope in the future to create more of these short videos and continue to unlock the history of our campus. We invite you to now watch the first video of the McIver Building. Special thanks to David Gwynn,(who provides the wonderful narration), Richard Cox, Hermann Trojanowski, and Beth Filar Williams for their work on this project.

Library Budget Central

2011-09-28T14:03:00.003-04:00

A new website has been established to communicate about the budget cuts being made by the University Libraries.

UNCG Librarian Mary Krautter Featured on Local TV News Segment

2011-09-28T08:15:00.007-04:00

Mary Krautter, Head of Reference & Instructional Services in the University Libraries at UNCG, is featured in this recent WFMY TV story about the impact of Google.

UNCG and the Folger Institute Consortium

2011-09-27T08:46:00.003-04:00

UNCG recently joined the prestigious Folger Institute consortium. Through this new membership, UNCG’s faculty and graduate students now have access to the Folger's archive and related conferences and seminars, and may also apply for acceptance and grants-in-aid to the Folger Institute's many programs. Dr. Christopher Hodgkins, Professor, English Department and Director of UNCG’s Atlantic World Research Network, led the consortium membership initiative. For details on applying to Folger Institute programs, please visit the AWRN web site or contact Dr. Hodgkins at cthodgki@uncg.edu.

Reader privileges at the Folger Institute are available to any person, regardless of academic affiliation. To access the collections, the borrower must first email the Folger's registrar about their visit. That communication should be followed by a letter from the UNCG dept. head to the Folger library, verifying the patron's identity and research needs. When the UNCG researcher finally visits the Folger, they must present their UNCG ID as well as a government-issued photo ID.

Reader privileges at the Newberry Library in Chicago are also available to any person, regardless of academic affiliation. However, for extended research stays at the Newberry, patrons should contact the Newberry's Research & Education department well in advance of their planned visit. With proper notice, Newberry staff may be able to provide a research carrel for visiting scholars.

UNCG Libraries Win Grants from State Library

2011-09-19T15:41:00.004-04:00

Two UNCG librarians have been awarded grants from the North Carolina State Library to support projects. Keith Gorman (left), who is Assistant Head of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, received support for the North Carolina Literary Map.

Digital Projects Coordinator David Gwynn (right) received support to digitize North Carolina Runaway Slave Advertisements.

Congratulations to both principal investigators.

September 26 FOL Book Discussion on "No God But God"--UPDATE

2011-09-12T14:58:00.006-04:00

We are going to hold the September 26 book discussion on No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam in the Faculty Center, a building located near the UNCG Alumni House on College Avenue. While we normally hold book discussions in the Hodges Reading Room of Jackson Library, the ongoing renovation project necessitated the move. We plan to be back in Hodges in October.

Room is still available for this discussion, and we invite you to register online or call 336-256-8598 if you would like to attend.

No God But God by Reza Aslan provides a comprehensive and highly readable overview of the history of Islam. Dr. Omar Ali (African American Studies) has spoken widely on this topic, and he recently was interviewed on WFDD. To listen to the interview, click here. After the introduction, skip ahead to the 17 minute mark. Dr. Ali's segment lasts approximately 13 minutes.

How State Budget Cuts Affect the University Libraries

2011-09-01T15:27:00.003-04:00

Dean Rosann Bazirjian talks about the impact of the state budget cuts on the University Libraries.

More information (pdf format)

Building a Tradition: the Children’s Author and Storyteller Series

2011-09-01T15:14:00.012-04:00

Each year for the past five years, the University Libraries have hosted a nationally known children's book author and storyteller, and invited the community to campus for free performances. How did this relatively new tradition come to be? More information (pdf format).

Making Our History Accessible: University History Digital Projects

2011-09-01T15:05:00.005-04:00

A new web portal connects several new
and existing online collections related to the history of
UNCG and makes over 3200 photographs, documents,
and publications available to the public. More information (pdf format).

"Fiction of Light"--Recent Paintings by Jack Stratton

2011-08-31T17:43:00.007-04:00

Recent paintings by Greensboro artist Jack Stratton will be on display in the Jackson Library Reading Room beginning on September 12. Join us on Friday, September 23 at 5:00 pm for the exhibit's opening reception. A percentage of all sales will benefit the University Libraries.

Jack Stratton is no stranger to the University Libraries--he first started working in Jackson Library as a student. After receiving his BFA in Painting at UNCG in 1977, Jack joined the library staff full time as a bookbinder. From the library, Jack moved to the Weatherspoon Art Museum where he worked for 20 years as a preparator. Last year, after thirty years of service, Jack retired from UNCG, but not from the art world. He currently paints in his Greensboro studio, as well as teaches drawing and watercolor painting at the Art Alliance, an organization sponsored by the City of Greensboro. He also works as a freelance preparator, curator, art handler and lighting consultant.

We asked Jack about what connects the paintings in "Fiction of Light":

"This exhibition presents ten examples of paintings from the last five years of my life. In my work, I am interested in image making as a sort of apperception.* I am intrigued by the idea that seeing is more than an identification of images, but the application of knowledge and how what we know influences how we see the world. Life study is a major part of my work but the final product of a painting is the creation of a narrative, based on reality, that is actually fiction based on real experience - the nature of experience rather than documenting a specific thing.

*Apperception: Introspective self-consciousness; or, the process of understanding something perceived in terms of previous experience. (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary)

Calendar of Fall Events

2011-08-30T15:23:00.007-04:00

See the library web page for information about public events and exhibits at the University libraries.

Kirby-Smith Creates Endowment for Modern Poetry at University Libraries

2011-08-29T08:58:00.015-04:00

Tom Kirby-Smith has donated a collection of modern poetry books and established the Noel and Tom Kirby-Smith Poetry Fund in the University Libraries at UNCG. UNCG Dean of Libraries Rosann Bazirjian says of the gift: “We are excited to receive this impressive collection. Our students and faculty will also appreciate the alcove space being planned on the third floor of the Jackson Library Tower to house it. That area will be a comfortable place to read and reflect on these volumes. We are especially grateful for an endowment that will allow us to continue to add to the collection and to preserve these valuable books of poetry.”

Noel Callow Kirby-Smith came to Greensboro in 1968 as one of the first Randall Jarrell fellows in UNCG's graduate Writing Program. A graduate of St Xavier College in Chicago, she had already published poems in The Sewanee Review and The Denver Quarterly written during the five years she taught reading and English in Chicago Catholic and public grade schools. Soon after taking her MFA she began teaching writing and literature at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she worked for more than three decades, for some years as Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Academic program. Knowing that many plays, dances, films, operas and other musical compositions originate with or are inspired by poems, stories or short dramatic works, Noel valued the opportunity to offer creative writing courses to performing arts students.

Tom Kirby-Smith grew up in Sewanee, Tennessee. He received his B.A. from Sewanee, an M.A. from Harvard and held a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and was one of the early editors of the Greensboro Review. He has published several books including a guide to U. S. observatories, a book on the philosopher George Santayana, a book that examines free verse poetry and one on the emergence of poetry from music. His poetry and essays have been published in The Southern Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Southern Poetry Review, Shenandoah, and Ploughshares, among other publications. Among his former students is Claudia Emerson, the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winner in poetry. His online poetry tutorials have been used widely by poetry teachers for almost a decade. Now retired from the UNCG faculty, Tom is the current chair of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries.

Service Desk in Jackson Library Named in Honor of UNCG Alumna Elaine Penninger

2011-08-24T10:18:00.010-04:00

The Service Desk at the entrance to the Jackson Library/EUC Connector is being named in honor of Dr. Frieda Elaine Penninger, a 1948 graduate of Woman’s College.Dr. Penninger, who majored in English at WC and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, later earned M.A. and PhD. degrees at Duke. She taught at several institutions, most notably for many years at the University of Richmond, where she was head of the English Department. After moving back to Greensboro following her retirement, Dr. Penninger has made generous gifts to the general collection of the University Libraries to support teaching, scholarship and research.

Documentary Film "The Day Carl Sandburg Died" to be Screened and Discussed on November 1

2011-08-17T08:46:00.002-04:00

Carl Sandburg died in July of 1967, but director Paul Bonesteel finds his life story and his creative legacy as relevant and provocative as it was in 1916 when his "Chicago Poems" changed American poetry. “Labor unrest, global wars, socialism, immigration and race issues… this was the subject matter that fueled Sandburg for much of his poetry and writing that shocked the world.” comments Bonesteel. “The intensity of his work was over simplified later in his life. He was both an anarchist and a deeply patriotic American.”

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries are pleased to present a screening of Paul Bonesteel’s new documentary film, “The Day Carl Sandburg Died.” Bonesteel will introduce and discuss the 82 minute film on Tuesday, November 1, beginning at 7 pm in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. Please join us in re-examining the life and work of the poet/biographer/ troubadour/ journalist/philosopher who spent the last years of his life at Flat Rock in the North Carolina mountains.

The Day Carl Sandburg Died was more than six years in the making. It has a cast of more than twenty notable scholars, performers and Sandburg family members. Sandburg’s daughter Helga Sandburg Crile, Pete Seeger, Norman Corwin and the late Studs Terkel contribute to the film along with contemporary poets Marc Smith, Ted Kooser and others. Also contributing significantly to the film is Sandburg biographer Penelope Niven, who lives in Winston-Salem.

Allen W. Trelease

2011-08-16T16:54:00.007-04:00

Dr. Allen Trelease, Emeritus Professor of History and former member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, has died. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Trelease was the author of Making North Carolina Literate: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro from Normal School to Metropolitan University, covering the period 1892-1994. In doing so, he spent many hours over a ten-year period in the University Archives, and was a familiar sight in Jackson Library. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries for a total of six years. He was known to the Board for his generosity and wry sense of humor, and once told us, “I wanted to make the title ‘Making Carolina Literate,’ but was dissuaded from doing so in deference to the sensibilities of our colleagues at Chapel Hill.”

Trelease was also the author of the books Indian Affairs in Colonial New York: The Seventeenth Century, White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction, and The North Carolina Railroad, 1849-1871, and the Modernization of North Carolina. He was editor of the UNCG centennial book Changing Assignments: A Pictorial History of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also served as head of the Department of History and as president of the Historical Society of North Carolina.

Pulitzer Prize-winning news photographer Matthew Lewis to exhibit and speak October 19, N&R columnist Jeri Rowe to moderate discussion

2011-08-11T11:46:00.007-04:00

Sometimes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Combine a picture with the story of four generations of African American photographers, and you have even more: an eye on history.

Matthew Lewis was the first photographer at the Washington Post ever to win a Pulitzer Prize when he did so in 1975 for a portfolio of his color pictures. Now “retired” and living in Thomasville, NC, Lewis is coming to the University Libraries at UNCG on Wednesday, October 19 at 5 pm in the Jackson Library Reading Room to display and talk about some of his favorite photos for an event moderated by News & Record columnist and Friends of the UNCG Libraries Board member Jeri Rowe.

The list of famous people photographed by Lewis ranges from Muhammed Ali to Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Included are politicians , musicians, celebrities and movie stars. All his photos, says Lewis, have a story. He is an enthusiastic man, with many stories. As he speaks, one senses that Lewis has enjoyed photographing the Thomasville Bulldogs football team as much as he did photographing Martin Luther King, several presidents, and the Queen of England.

Matthew Lewis joined the faculty of Morgan State College in 1957 as an assistant in the audiovisual department and a public relations photographer. He began free-lancing for the Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper in 1963, covering events such as the funeral of John F. Kennedy and the 1963 March on Washington. He became a staff photographer for the Washington Post in 1965 and was later the Assistant Managing Editor of the photographic department for eleven years before retiring from the Post in 1990 after 25 years. He became a freelance photographer for the Thomasville Times in 1994 and later became their staff photographer.

Lewis’s grandfather, Harvey James (HJ) Lewis, born in 1878 the son of indentured slaves, began making photographs for picture postcards in the Pittsburgh area in 1896, and built a studio in his backyard in 1905. There he became a noted chronicler of city life and social scenes, and established himself as a portraitist and color photographer, continuing to work until his death in 1968. Three more generations of his family, including Matthew Lewis, have been photographers, creating a legacy than spans more than a century. Matthew Lewis will display some of his grandfather’s photographs and talk about them as well.

Honoring Mom

2011-08-11T11:26:00.017-04:00

Ms. Anne Courts Herman ’87 has established The Carol Walker Courts Children’s Literature Preservation and Acquisition Fund for the University Libraries in honor of her mother.

Anne’s mother graduated from Woman’s College with a degree in Physical Education in 1947. Because of her love of books and reading, she came back to UNCG to get her M.Ed. in Library Education in 1968. Mrs. Courts served as a librarian for almost 30 years in the High Point school system including Griffin Elementary School and Andrews High School. Anne received a Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981, then earned an M.L.S. at UNCG in 1987. She served as a librarian for 12 years at Summit School in Winston-Salem and currently works at Cash Elementary.

Anne honors her mother’s love of libraries with a gift that will continue to provide ongoing support for acquisitions and the preservation of children’s literature. The fund will be used to support the Girls Books and Series and the Early Juvenile Collection in the Special Collections of the University Libraries at UNCG. Says Bill Finley, Head of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Department: “This gift will not only enhance two important collections in Special Collections through future acquisitions but will enable us to take care of the significant books in these collections to ensure their perpetuity. Children's books are notoriously well used and fragile, and proper preservation--especially of older works--is as crucial as acquisition to the enrichment of these valuable collections. This thoughtful gift will enable these collections both to grow and to remain useable for future scholars and readers.”

Register Now for the 2011-2012 FOL Book Discussions

2011-08-03T10:00:00.004-04:00

This year we celebrate ten years of the faculty-led Friends of the UNCG Libraries Book Discussions. Please join us as we peruse a history of Islam, a comic academic novel, an account of a brief life and immortal cells, a Victorian classic, a new analysis of cities, and a "story of stuff." Come for one; come for all--register today at http://library.uncg.edu/giving/friends_of_the_libraries/Register.aspx.

Schedule of Discussions
all discussions will be held in the Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of Jackson Library

Monday, September 26 at 4:00 pm
Dr. Omar Ali, African American Studies, selected No God But God by Reza Aslan, because it provides a comprehensive and highly readable overview of the history of Islam. As Booklist notes, "Beginning with an exploration of the religious climate in the years before the Prophet's Revelation, Aslan traces the story of Islam from the Prophet's life and the so-called golden age of the first four caliphs all the way through European colonization and subsequent independence. Aslan sees religion as a story, and he tells it that way, bringing each successive century to life with the kind of vivid details and like-you-were-there, present-tense narration that makes popular history popular.

Monday, October 24 at 7:00 pm
Dr. Richard Barton, history, thinks that Richard Russo's Straight Man is one of the funniest novels about academe. The novel follows the exploits of William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the grudging chair of the English department at a poorly-funded Pennsylvania college:

"In the course of a single week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, imagine his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and threaten to execute a goose on local television. All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the dereliction of his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions" (from the publisher's description).

Monday, December 5 at 7:00 pm
Several Friends members requested that the book group read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the non-fiction account by Rebecca Skloot of an impoverished African American woman who died of cancer in the 1950s and whose cells were used in remarkable medical breakthroughs. As Skloot notes, "It’s a story inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we’re made of." Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, biology, was delighted that we asked her to lead the discussion of the book, as it's one she is eager to re-read. Last Spring, the biology department presented copies of the book to the recipients of the Dr. Bruce Eberhart award. The award, established in 1997, honors "the memory and many contributions of Dr. Eberhart, a cancer victim, to the Biology Department and the community by honoring the students who are contributing to the department and the community in ways that were typical of him." The Immortal Life was selected because "The issues about medical and scientific ethics raised by this book are definitely what Dr. Eberhart would have been concerned about."

Monday, February 6 at 4:00 pm
Did you know that February 7, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth? We thought we would get a jump on the celebration by discussing Great Expectations the afternoon before, and we promise that if we serve cake, it won't be Miss Havisham's. Dr. Hephzibah Roskelly, English, who introduced the Friends to another Victorian classic last year, will lead the discussion. If you have read Great Expectations before, it's well worth re-reading. And if you haven't, join us as we follow the progress of the orphan Pip, a quintessential Dickens hero, as he stumbles across an escaped convict in a cemetery, falls in love, and finds himself possessed of a mysterious fortune.

Monday, March 26 at 7:00 pm
Professor Ken Snowden, economics, selected Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, written by renowned economist Edward Glaeser. As the publisher describes, Glaeser proves that "cities are actually the healthiest, greenest, and richest (in cultural and economic terms) places to live. . . . More than half of American's income is earned in twenty-two metropolitan areas. And city dwellers use, on average, 40% less energy than suburbanites. . . . Even the worst cities--Kinshasa, Kolkata, Lagos--confer surprising benefits on the people who flock to them, including better health and more jobs than the rural areas that surround them."

Monday, April 23 at 7:00 pm
Rather than a book that became a movie, The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health--And a Vision for Change began as an Internet film. And it was on the Internet that discussion leader Dr. Spoma Jovanovic, communication studies, first encountered this work. In the book, author Annie Leonard "tracks the life of the Stuff we use everyday-- where our cotton T-shirts, laptop computers, and aluminum cans come from, how they are produced, distributed, and consumed, and where they go when we throw them out" (from the book flap).

Story time

2011-07-27T12:01:00.005-04:00

Stories are powerful. A well-told story even more so.

Five years ago, the University Libraries began a series that brings children’s book authors and storytellers to campus. The goal? To reach out to area school children and to teach future educators about using stories in the classroom.

This year, Bobby Norfolk, co-author of “Anansi and the Pot of Beans,” “The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development” and “Anansi Goes to Lunch,” will share his tales with area school children and the public Sept. 12. The event is made possible by the Pam and David Sprinkle Children's Author and Storyteller's Series Fund.

Norfolk, who began his career as a stand-up comedian and actor, discovered storytelling in 1979. Since then he has performed living history programs that highlight the African-American experience as well as musical shows that feature live musicians. His stories promote character education traits (such as respect and responsibility), cultural diversity and literacy.

In television, Norfolk won three Emmy awards as the host of the CBS TV show “Gator Tales” and also hosted the Emmy nominated series “Children’s Theater at Bobby’s House.”

In October 2009, he received the national Circle of Excellence Oracle Award, an honor presented by the National Storytelling Network.

He will give his first program of the day to area fourth graders. They are hosted and chaperoned by their teachers, NC Teaching Fellows and education majors. The School of Education also helps with logistics. So far, more than 2,500 students have come to campus since the series began.

“Most of our students have very limited experiences outside of home and school,” one fourth grade teacher wrote. “By bringing our students to a university campus and exposing them to the rich language of a storyteller...you have positively impacted their personal and academic growth.”

In the afternoon, UNCG elementary education majors are invited to see Norfolk tell stories to more fourth graders followed by a question and answer session. The session gives them ideas on how to incorporate storytelling and author visits into their teaching.

The public is invited to a free evening performance at 7 p.m. in the Elliott University Center auditorium.

See videos of Bobby Norfolk performances as well as his 2010 performance about the Negro Baseball Leagues.

Post courtesy of Beth English, as it appeared in the UNCG Magazine, Summer 2011

Dana Boyle Wins Award as Outstanding Libraries' Student Worker

2011-07-20T16:54:00.001-04:00

Rosann Bazirjian, Dean-University Libraries, David Arneke - Sponsor of the Award & Dana Boyle, Winner of Outstanding Libraries' Student Worker

Anna Craft and Erin Lawrimore Join Library Faculty

2011-07-17T11:16:00.007-04:00

Anna Craft has been appointed Metadata Cataloger at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Most recently, she was Metadata Librarian at Western Carolina University. She holds the M.S.L.S. from UNC Chapel Hill.

Erin Lawrimore has been appointed University Archivist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Most recently, she was Associate Head and Curator at the North Carolina State University Special Collections Research Center. She holds the M.S.I.S. from the University of Texas in Austin.

Faculty and Staff of the University Libraries Contribute to Literature and Practice of Librarianship

2011-07-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Combined, the faculty and staff of the University Libraries gave 157 presentations to professional and scholarly conferences in 2010-2011, and collectively wrote 1 book, 75 articles and 22 book chapters.

Photo: Lynda Kellam, author of Numeric Data Services & Sources for the General Reference Librarian.

Zaruba Wins Staff Service Award

2011-07-13T16:40:00.006-04:00

Cindy Zaruba (on left in photo with award creator Martha Ransley) has won the Staff Service Award at the University Libraries for 2011. Cindy was extolled by her colleagues as a truly gifted problem solver--efficient, hardworking, and productive. She is known for solving workflow problems with an eye on how a patron would approach searching and how decisions will influence the work flow between departments.

Within the Cataloging Department, Cindy leads by example, calling little attention to her accomplishments. She often volunteers for anything that needs doing, tackling complex projects with skill, diligence, and cheer. She is known for her balanced perspective and dry sardonic humor. Having worked in five different positions with in her nearly thirty years with the Libraries, Cindy is also respected for her wise counsel and historical memory of the library. Cindy is also a respected leader and teacher, having spent much time training student assistants, library faculty and staff, visiting librarians, and various practicum students and interns.

To quote a co-worker, “I can’t imagine successfully completing many of the projects she has participated in if it weren’t for her valuable insights and suggestions and speedy completion of tasks. Perhaps this is because she specializes in the organizing and processing of anomalies and exceptions.”

During the past year, in addition to her regular multi-format work, Cindy assumed responsibility for cataloging circulating scores and books for the Music Library and provided the foundational work and workflow model by which about 5,000 DVDs were transferred to the Jackson Library collection where they are now enjoyed by our patrons.

The University Libraries Staff Service Award was established in 1997 upon the retirement of Martha Ransley, former Head of the Circulation Department and Friends of the UNCG Libraries Board member, "to recognize and reward members of the SPA Library Staff who provide outstanding leadership and service in furthering the accomplishment of the mission of the Library to provide service to students, faculty, staff and members of the community which the University serves."

Wall of Honor Installed in Jackson Library to Recognize Donors

2011-07-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Donors make possible many of the elements that make the University Libraries special. They support programs, help us make the building attractive and inviting, and help build collections. To recognize those who have been major donors in recent years, a Wall of Honor has been installed on the first floor of Jackson Library at the entrance to the Tower Lobby.

Annual gifts of $1,000 or more ensure your place in the Jackson Society. Payments may be spread throughout the year or matched by your employer. New gifts to the Society are recognized on the Wall of Honor.
For more information, please contact:

Ms. Linda Burr
Director of Development
UNCG University Libraries
PO Box 26170

Jackson Society - A Great First Year

2011-06-23T16:23:00.001-04:00

In its inaugural year, more than thirty persons have joined the Jackson Society to support the University Libraries at UNCG. After a kickoff brunch hosted by Chancellor Brady in May of 2010, the membership has grown rapidly. We thank all who have supported us, and invite others to consider joining.

The Jackson Society honors donors who have generously contributed to the goals and enrichment of the University Libraries at UNCG

As the Libraries’ leadership giving society, these dedicated supporters are committed to the Libraries’ mission -- to advance and support learning,
research and service at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and throughout the state.

Annual gifts of $1,000 or more ensure your place in the Jackson Society. Payments may be spread throughout the year or matched by your employer. New gifts to the Society are recognized on the Wall of Honor on the first floor of Jackson Library.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Linda Burr
Director of Development
UNCG University Libraries
PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402
336-256-0184
lgburr@uncg.edu

Storyteller and Children’s Author Bobby Norfolk to Visit September 12

2011-06-20T13:45:00.005-04:00

When Bobby Norfolk began reading bedtime stories for his seven year old, he found he had a slight problem. Instead of putting his son to sleep, the boy was so engaged by his father’s energetic style that he was ready for popcorn, soda, and more entertainment instead of rest. Norfolk realized that he should channel his efforts into storytelling, and he has become one of America’s best practitioners of the storytelling art. From traditional Anansi folk tales to a rap of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, historical themes to poetry, the St. Louis-based Norfolk now performs around the world and is a recipient of the prestigious Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network.

On September 12, the University Libraries at UNCG will host performances by Norfolk for the children and adults of the Triad. Norfolk will perform for invited schools and UNCG students during the day, and for the general public that evening at 7 p.m. in a free performance in the Elliott University Center Auditorium on the UNCG campus that is open to the general public. Later in the week, he will perform at other K-12 schools in the Triad.

Norfolk’s appearance is made possible by the Pam and David Sprinkle Children’s Author and Storytelling Series Fund.

Here's a video of Norfolk performing.

Sara Paretsky: Libraries Are Such a Key Place in American Society

2011-06-02T15:58:00.002-04:00

Author Sara Paretsky, best known her V.I. Warshawski novels, talks about the value of public and academic libraries in this video.

Friends of the UNCG Libraries Officers and Directors Elected for 2011-2012

2011-05-04T17:11:00.001-04:00

Mr. Tom Kirby-Smith has been elected chairperson of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries and to a new term on the Board of Directors. He was elected at the recent annual meeting of the Friends, which featured a presentation by authors Lee Smith and Hal Crowther.

Mr. Kirby-Smith, who taught at UNCG for many years, was an early editor of the Greensboro Review. He is also the author of several books, including a guide to U.S. observatories, a book on the philosopher George Santayana, a book that examines free verse poetry and one on the emergence of poetry from music. His poetry and essays have been published in the Southern Review, the Sewanee Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Shenandoah, Poetry (magazine), the Mountain Goat, the Southern Poetry Review, Ploughshares, and the Hudson Review. He has served on the board of editors of Versification. His chapbook of poems, The Musical Constellations, was published by Unicorn Press in 2007. Among his former students is Claudia Emerson, the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winner for poetry. His online poetry tutorials have been used widely by poetry teachers for almost a decade. Mr. Kirby-Smith received his B.A. from Sewanee, an M.A. from Harvard, and held a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford. He was also a Fulbright scholar in Dijon, France.

Other newly-elected Board members include Ms. Billie Durham of Asheboro, and Mr. Lorenzo Meachum, Ms. S. Camille Payton, Ms. Ingrid Ruffin, and Mr. Norman Smith, all of Greensboro. Re-elected to the Board were Mr. Howard Covington, Ms. Rosemary Roberts, and Ms. Barbara Walser, also of Greensboro.

Sense & Sensibility--The Quiz!

2011-04-18T16:29:00.003-04:00

2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen's novels have been read, translated, adapted, critiqued, and loved ever since. On May 3, the Friends of the UNCG Libraries will gather with students from the Department of English and Professor Jim Evans to read selections from Austen's first-published novel and drink tea. Please join us! We will be at the Faculty Center from 3:30-5:30 on Tuesday, May 3. Contact Kimberly Lutz at kdlutz2@uncg.edu for more information.

I posted this quiz on the many adaptations of Sense & Sensibility last week. Now, as promised, the answers, in red , below. The picture to the left? From the cover of the 2010 Marvel comic book version of the novel--we'll have it on hand at the reading next week.

1) Which actress knew, at age 22, that Sense & Sensibility would make a great movie? She later won an academy award for her screenplay and was nominated as best actress. Emma Thompson

2) How many BBC television versions of the novel have aired? For a bonus, list the dates of the series. Three BBC versions have aired: 2008, with Hattie Morahan as Elinor and Charity Wakefield as Marianne; 1981 with Irene Richards and Tracey Childs as Elinor and Marianne; and 1971 with Joanna David and Ciaran Madden in those roles.

3) Clueless is to Emma what From Prada to Nada is to Sense & Sensibility. Hint, this film, which opened in January, 2011, was billed as "a Latina spin" on the novel and follows the tale of "two spoiled sisters who have been left penniless after their father's sudden death [and] are forced to move in with their estranged aunt in East Los Angeles."

4) Seth Grahame-Smith calls Jane Austen the co-author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Ben Winters similarly gives Austen her due in Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters .

5) The first musical movie based on Sense and Sensibility is set in what country? What language was it filmed in? What's its title? Set in India, Kandukondain Kandukondain (Tamil: கண்டுகொண்டேன் கண்டுகொண்டேன்; English: I Have Found It) is a 2000 Tamil-language musical and romantic film.

6) We still have time to rush to catch Sense and Sensibilty, the Musical which is being staged from April 26-May 1 at the Wellesley Summer Theater. For more information about the play, see the article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Email your answers to Kimberly Lutz at kdlutz2@uncg.edu.

Baseball and Books

2011-04-11T10:10:00.006-04:00

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries invite you to a free talk by Brett Friedlander author of "Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham", at 4:30 pm in the Dogwood Room of the Elliott University Center at UNCG, followed by a book signing at the UNCG-Wake Forest baseball game at the UNCG baseball stadium, which begins at 6 pm. Admission to the game is also free. Moonlight Graham was made famous by Burt Lancaster in the film, but his real life is also interesting. Moonlight's brother was UNC system president Frank Porter Graham, and his cousin was UNCG Chancellor Edward Kidder Graham. He also juggled a career in minor league baseball with his medical training, Co-sponsored with the Athletics Department. Together we invite you all to participate in the American Library Association's program, Step up to the Plate to play some baseball trivia and be entered to win a drawing for a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. See http://www.atyourlibrary.org/baseball

A Century of Gardening at UNCG--Join Us Friday, April 15!

2011-04-05T12:35:00.015-04:00

Join the Friends of the UNCG Libraries and the Green Libraries Group as we look at the history of gardening on campus. In the Fall semester of 2010, students, faculty and staff broke ground on a new food garden at 123 McIver Street. But food gardening on campus has a much longer history. As this photo shows, “Farmerettes” from the State Normal and Industrial College, as UNCG was then named, were lending their labor to campus food production nearly 100 years ago in 1918.

Join us as we celebrate these deep roots (excuse the pun). Carolyn Shankle will trace the history of community food gardening on campus, from the war gardens of World War I, to the victory gardens of World War II, and beyond, as captured in the pamphlets and photographs housed in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. Dr. Susan Andreatta, Professor of Anthropology and co-director of the UNC Greensboro Gardens will discuss the creation of the new garden and how it supports the campus move toward greater sustainability. Dr. Anna Marshall-Baker's students in Interior Architecture designed the garden, and she will be on hand to talk about that project. Senior Chandra Metheny (Environmental Biology) will talk about the Plant Diversity/Systematics garden plot she designed and describe the potential of using the garden for instruction. Beth Filar Williams and Sarah Dorsey will demonstrate the University Libraries’ resources for “green” gardening in our current print and electronic collections. The event will conclude with a field trip to the UNC Greensboro Garden to see how the first crop is growing.

Event Details:

When: Friday, April 15, 2-4 pm

Where: Room 217, Music Building.

The Music Building is a short walk from the campus garden at 123 McIver Street where the program will conclude.

Come to the Last FOL Book Discussion--Monday, March 28

2011-03-18T12:39:00.001-04:00

Please join us on Monday, March 28, for the last FOL Book Discussion of the current academic year. Professor Jeff Jones (history) is leading the discussion on Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz. Due to construction in Jackson Library, we are moving our discussion to the Alumni House--we will be in the Pecky Cypress Room. Meet us there at 7 pm.

Check out this interview with the author for more information about the book, and be sure to visit the book's website.

http://www.childrenofdust.com/

Baseball and Books: Tuesday, April 12

2011-03-16T12:51:00.008-04:00

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries invite you to a free talk by Brett Friedlander author of "Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham", at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, April 12 in the Dogwood Room of the Elliott University Center at UNCG, followed by a book signing at the UNCG-Wake Forest baseball game at the UNCG baseball stadium, which begins at 6 pm. The baseball game is also free.

Moonlight Graham was made famous by Burt Lancaster in the film, but his real life is also interesting. Moonlight's brother was UNC system president Frank Porter Graham, and his cousin was UNCG Chancellor Edward Kidder Graham. He also juggled a career in minor league baseball with his medical training,

Co-sponsored with the Athletics Department.

In Case You Missed the Geoffrey Baym Talk on Wednesday . . .

2011-02-25T10:19:00.003-05:00

Professor Geoffrey Baym sat down with Allen Johnson of the News & Record to talk about The Daily Show. We're still sorry we missed you on Wednesday when Dr. Baym discussed the ways in which The Daily Show increases media literacy, but at least you can watch this video.

The Critical Need for Media Literacy,or, Why Educators Love the Daily Show

2011-02-16T10:00:00.003-05:00

Join the Friends of the UNCG Libraries as we introduce Professor Geoffrey Baym, author of the award-winning book, From Cronkite to Colbert. Professor Baym, who is on UNCG's Information Literacy Council, will discuss the importance of media literacy. All are welcome.
Wednesday, February 23 at 4:00 pm in the Claxton Room, Elliott University Center

Check out the digital projects blog from the University Libraries

2011-02-15T11:38:00.006-05:00

Connect to the University Libraries and UNCG's history online through the Digital Projects Blog. Available at http://uncgdigital.blogspot.com/, the blog provides updates on the latest digitization work undertaken by the University Libraries. Browse through old issues of the Coraddi and Alumnae News and keep up to date on other digital projects.

Lee Smith, Hal Crowther Speak on ‘Prose and Cons’ at Friends of the UNCG Libraries Dinner on March 16

2011-02-08T09:44:00.005-05:00

It’s a two-author-for-one deal at this year’s Friends of the UNCG Libraries dinner.

Lee Smith, novelist and short story writer, and Hal Crowther, essayist and cultural critic, will headline the dinner Wednesday, March 16. Crowther and Smith, husband and wife, have titled their remarks “Prose and Cons.”

The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. in Cone Ballroom, Elliott University Center. The seated dinner begins at 7:15 p.m., and the program begins at 8:30 p.m.

For more information, see http://www.uncg.edu/ure/news/stories/2011/feb/FOLDinner020311.htm

Author Randall Kenan to Visit UNCG on Monday, February 21

2011-02-01T13:30:00.009-05:00

Two Programs

Who: North Carolina authors Randall Kenan, Quinn Dalton, and Mark Smith-Soto
What: Panel Discussion: “Our Voice, My Voice: Writers Discuss the Relationship between the Group Self and the Individual Self”
When: Monday, February 21, 2011 at 4 p.m.
Where: Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG campus

Who: Randall Kenan
What: Reading
When: Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Where: Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG campus

Both programs are free and open to the public and are sponsored by the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts, the University Libraries, the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, and the MFA Writing Program.

January 2011 issue of Library Columns, the Magazine of the University Libraries at UNCG

2011-01-24T13:19:00.005-05:00

The January 2011 edition of Library Columns, the magazine of the University Libraries at UNCG, has been released. The magazine is now available only in electronic form.

We invite you to browse the current issue and review stories such as:

* UNCG's Cello Music Collections Celebrated
* Historical Maps of North Carolina
* UNCG Typhoid Victims of 1899
* Friends of the Library Dinner with Lee Smith and Hal Crowther (March 16)
* Calendar of upcoming events

North Carolina’s Oldest Roads

2011-01-20T16:54:00.004-05:00

"North Carolina’s Oldest Roads" will be presented by Tom Magnuson, founder and president of the Trading Path Association on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 4 p.m. in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room on the 2nd floor of Jackson Library at UNC Greensboro.

This presentation is made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room at UNCG’s Jackson Library displays two early and historic maps of North Carolina, the Collet map of 1770 and the Mouzon map of 1775. These maps indicate the presence of the Trading Path from the Eno River near present-day Durham to the Yadkin River west of present-day Winston-Salem. Tom Magnuson, president of the Trading Path Association, has spent much time mapping and documenting the course of the Trading Path from its historical remains in the landscape of the Piedmont. He will discuss colonial and early American trade routes in the area, and share insight about how and why our contemporary roads sometimes follow the old routes. The close historical relationship of roads and trade routes will be discussed.

The event is free and open to the public.

Join Us on January 20 When We Unveil a New Student Art Exhibit

2011-01-07T15:06:00.006-05:00

For the second year, the University Libraries are collaborating with the Art Department to host an exhibit of student art in the Reading Room on the first floor of Jackson Library.

UNCG Art Department students collaborated on this installation that explores the history of the university. While enrolled in the courses of Design II (taught by Bryan Ellis), Alternative Photographic Process (taught by Leah Sobsey) and Books and Images (taught by Belinda Haikes), the students delved into the materials housed in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives. By incorporating photographs, historical objects, letters, documents and oral history, the students’ art re-imagines the history of the campus and connects it to the present day.

The artwork pictured here is entitled "To Lula, from Charles," by student Bennie Robinson. Robinson, using an alternative photographic process, captured the deathmask of Charles McIver, founder of what is now UNCG, and overlaid it with a letter from McIver to his wife. Both the deathmask and the letter are part of the University Archives.

Please join us on Thursday, January 20, from 4-5:30 pm for the opening reception of "Shifting Grounds." The exhibit will be on display in Jackson Library throughout the Spring semester. Many of the pieces will be for sale, and a portion of the proceeds goes to support the University Libraries

Next Up for the FOL Book Discussion--The Ghost Map

2010-12-06T15:16:00.004-05:00

Perhaps one of the most devastating aspects of the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti is that for well over a century, cholera is a disease that has been understood by scientists, a disease that can be managed, and a disease that can be cured. And yet, as of December 6, 2010, over 91,000 Haitians have been sickened and more than 2,000 people have died. When we selected The Ghost Map as our January 24, 2011 Friends of the Library Book Discussion read, we did not anticipate that this book, which traces the beginning of scientific knowledge about cholera in the wake of the 1854 London epidemic, would be so relevant.

Professors Rob and Janne Cannon will discuss the book with us at 7 pm on Monday, January 24 in the Hodges Reading Room. To learn more about the book and about how cholera spreads, please visit the book's website . The short video on the website provides a good introduction to this distressing subject.

Professor Janne Cannon also suggests the following websites for those interested in more information about John Snow, one of the book's major characters, and about cholera epidemics:

The Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at UCLA has created a terrific web site devoted to “the life and times of Dr. John Snow.” It contains a great deal of information about Snow’s work and its significance for public health, epidemiology, and anesthesiology; there are also numerous links to articles and other resources about Snow:
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow.html .

Another excellent web site is “Contagion: Historical Views of diseases and Epidemics,” from the Harvard Library Open Collections Program. This site contains information on a number of historical epidemics, including cholera epidemics in the 19th century:
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/cholera.html.

Friends of the UNCG Libraries Annual Dinner - March 16, 2011

2010-11-23T16:40:00.003-05:00

Bound to Please: The Custom Bookbindings of Don Etherington and Monique Lallier

2010-11-10T13:53:00.002-05:00

November 15-December 22, 2010, Monday-Friday, 8-5 p.m.: “Bound to Please: The Custom Bookbindings of Don Etherington & Monique Lallier.” Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 2nd Floor. The exhibit opens with a talk by the bookbinders at 4 p.m. on Monday November 15.

Don Etherington and Monique Lallier are two of the world’s most respected and honored bookbinders. Born in England and Montreal, respectively, they have undertaken projects for clients around the globe, and they have spent much of their careers teaching others the art and craft of what they do. They now live in Summerfield, a short drive from the UNCG campus, where Don’s reference library and papers are in the Special Collections of the University’s Library.

From November 15 through December 22, some of their custom bindings will be on display in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of UNCG’s Jackson Library. On opening day, Monday, November 15, at 4 p.m. they will talk about their careers and their bindings. The talk is free and open to the public. A reception will follow, and copies of Don’s autobiography, A Sixty-year Odyssey in Bookbinding and Conservation, will be offered for sale.

Don Etherington began bookbinding at the age of thirteen as a student at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and later went on to study bookbinding and design at the London School of Printing. Since then, he has held positions at the Biblioteca Nazionale in Florence, The Library of Congress, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Information Conservation, Inc., and now Etherington Conservations Services in Browns Summit. . In 1982, he co-authored with Matt Roberts Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, the first comprehensive attempt to compile terminology from all the bookmaking and conservation fields.

Monique Lallier began her studies in the 1960s in Montreal at Cotnoir Cappone School of Fashion & L'Art de la Reliure book binding school with Simone B. Roy. She continued on to Paris, with Roger Arnoult, Centro Del Bel Libro in Ascona, with Edwin Heim and Solothurn, Switzerland with Hugo Peller. She has won many awards for her bindings, and is the former Director of the American Academy of Bookbinding. Her work has been exhibited widely in such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution in the U.S., and at the Bibliotheque Nationales in both Paris and Montreal. Collections of her bindings may be found in the private library of Pope John Paul II, McGill University, LSU, and UNCG, as well as in public and private collections in the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan.

Start Reading Now--Next Book in the FOL Discussion Series is Barchester Towers

2010-11-09T17:09:00.008-05:00

Barchester Towers, by Anthony Trollope, is a classic Victorian novel and well worth reading and re-reading, but at nearly 500 pages, it takes some time. Whether you finish the tome or not, we hope you join us on Monday, December 6 at 4 pm in the Hodges Reading Room of Jackson Library, when we discuss the book with Dr. Hephzibah Roskelly. In the meantime, check out the website devoted to all things Trollope. Here you will find fun facts about Trollope (did you know he was a senior civil servant in the post office?) and learn how he managed to write forty-seven novels, many of which are still in print. His secret? He paid a servant an additional five pounds a year to wake him up with a cup of coffee so that he could write between 5 and 8 am each day. The website also includes many quotes from Trollope on all aspects of relationships and politics. I will leave you with one from Barchester Towers:

"Consolation from the world's deceit is very common. Mothers obtain it from their children, and men from their dogs. Some men even do so from their walking-sticks, which is just as rational."

Happy Reading!

Pirates Beyond the Caribbean--October 28th at 7pm in the EUC Auditorium

2010-10-12T11:03:00.016-04:00

While the pirate in the popular imagination tends to look like Johnny Depp and inhabit rowdy port cities in the Caribbean, pirates have pillaged and plundered from ancient times to the present day in all corners of the world. Join the History Club and the Friends of the UNCG Libraries in the EUC Auditorium at 7pm on Thursday, October 28th, as we host a panel designed to extend our understanding of pirates and their impact on law, society, and culture.

Four experts from UNCG will discuss the pirates they have encountered in their very different fields of study. Dr. Omar Ali, African American Studies, will talk about a 14th Century Morrocan explorer who was beset by pirates off the coast of Sri Lanka and lived to tell the tale. Dr. James Anderson, History, will examine the intersection between smuggling, piracy and patriotism in the career of the Sino-Japanese pirate and Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong (1624-1662). Jason Cooke, a doctoral candidate in English, will look at the intersection between the actual hijackings of American vessels off the Barbary Coast and the treatment of those events in early American Literature. Dr. Robert Griffiths, Political Science, will discuss recent pirate attacks off the coast of Africa in the context of international security and law. A reception will immediately follow the panel. Special thanks to the Student Goverment Association for their support of this event.

Movie Night is on Us!

2010-10-11T15:11:00.002-04:00

Starting on Wednesday, October 13, faculty, staff, students, and Friends of the UNCG Libraries can check out DVDs in Jackson Library. Roughly 5,000 titles, encompassing hit TV shows, popular movies and classic films, will be shelved near the current periodicals in the Jackson Library Reading Room. Friends, as well as UNCG faculty, staff, and students, can check out up to two DVDs at a time for a period of one week. Do bring them back, though. Patrons are fined one dollar per day that the DVDs are overdue

Peter Yarrow at UNC Greensboro on November 3, 2010 to do performance and booksigning for University Libraries

2010-10-05T14:10:00.002-04:00

Peter Yarrow, famous for his role in the legendary trio, Peter, Paul, and Mary, is coming to UNCG on November 3, 2010 for a booksigning and free performance sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries. The author of books such as Puff the Magic Dragon and Songs for Little Folks will appear at the Recital Hall of the Music Building at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, see http://www.uncg.edu/ure/news/stories/2010/sep/PeterYarrow092710.htm

UNCG Libraries Host Exhibit and Collector Talk – A Gentleman’s Library: The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

2010-09-28T14:25:00.006-04:00

Greensboro attorney Norman B. Smith is interested in the great ideas of the world. An avid reader and book collector, he has built a personal library representing those ideas over a collecting career of more than four decades.

From October 6 until November 12, the University Libraries at UNCG are pleased to host an exhibit “A Gentleman’s Library: The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith,” in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of Jackson Library on the UNCG campus. The approximately thirty books in the exhibit range from the 15th century through the 20th century, and include a variety of authors and disciplines. The earliest book being displayed is a manuscript copy of a Book of Hours from the mid 15th century, but there are books from each century after that. Book collectors and readers are invited to view the exhibit between 9 and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

On Tuesday, October 19 at 4 p.m., Smith will talk about his collection and discuss how and why it was built. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, is free and open to the public, as is the exhibit. A reception will follow Smith’s talk.

Dr. William K. Finley, Head of the Special Collections and University Archives Department, describes Smith as “the rare collector who is not only interested in books, but one who has read much of his collection. Norman is a collector who has studied the great thinkers of many eras, and has amassed a collection representing their thoughts as published over the past 5+ centuries. We are honored that he is permitting us to display a few of them.”

For more information, contact the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at 336-334-5246.

Library Columns electronic edition released

2010-09-09T13:47:00.006-04:00

We invite you to browse the electronic edition of Library Columns, the magazine of the University Libraries at UNCG. You may review stories such as:

* “The Building of Jackson Library, 1948-50,” describing the construction of the building which is 60 years old this year;

* “Walking in Their Footsteps,” exploring student use of the University Archives;

* “New Library Tools for Online Students,” describing our services for distance learners;

We are also pleased to provide news about the programs and activities of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, the launch of the University Yearbooks website, and other topics we think may interest you.

We invite your feedback on this first electronic issue. You may send feedback to barry_miller@uncg.edu.

2010/2011 Book Discussion List Set--Register Now!

2010-08-27T12:13:00.007-04:00

We're pleased to announce the new lineup for the FOL Book Discussion Group. Once again, we have asked some of our favorite faculty members to choose books they treasure. We hope you can join us for one or more of these discussions. Simply log on to http://library.uncg.edu/fol/register or call or email Kimberly Lutz (336.256.8598 or kdlutz2@uncg.edu) to register.

First up, on Monday, October 4, at 7 pm, is Zeitoun, a non-fiction account by Dave Eggers of one immigrant's experience during Hurricaine Katrina and its aftermath. Zeitoun was selected as UNCG's All-Campus Read this year, and we're very lucky to have Dr. Bill Hamilton leading the discussion. Dr. Hamilton, who teaches in the Masters of Liberal Studies program, spent a significant time in New Orleans and is primarily interested in the study of human rights. A student of world religion and a Latin American historian and Presbyterian minister by training, Dr. Hamilton will bring a unique perspective to our discussion of Zeitoun. To meet Dr. Hamilton virtually, please see this interview on YouTube.

Please note that all discussions will take place in the Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of Jackson Library. Check this blog periodically for more information about each book and faculty discussion leader. In the meantime, you can click on each book title for a fuller description.

Monday, October 4, 2010 at 7 pm: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Discussion Leader: Bill Hamilton, Liberal Studies

Monday, November 1, 2010 at 7 pm: My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor. Discussion Leader: Gwen Hunnicutt, Sociology Department

Monday, December 6, 2010 at 4 pm (note the earlier start): Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. Discussion Leader: Hephzibah Roskelly, English Department

Monday, January 24, 2011 at 7 pm: The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson. Discussion Leaders: Janne Cannon, Microbiology and Immunology (UNC Chapel Hill) and Rob Cannon, Biology

Monday, February 28, 2011 at 7 pm: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis. Discussion Leader: Christopher Hodgkins, English Department

Monday, March 28, 2011 at 7 pm: Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz. Discussion Leader: Jeff Jones, History Department.

September 9th Reception for New Art Exhibit in Jackson Library

2010-08-24T15:24:00.003-04:00

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries are sponsoring a new art exhibit. "Accepting the Often Chaotic Appearance of Trees," created by Greensboro artist Karen Bjork Dischell, will be on display in the Jackson Library Reading Room during the Fall semester. We invite you to join us from 4-6 pm on September 9 for an opening reception.

Bjork Dischell, who works primarily as an oil painter, has a studio at the Lyndon Street Artworks in Greensboro. Originally from Massachusetts, she studied drawing and printmaking at the School of the Worcester Art Museum and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Bjork Dischell’s paintings have appeared in galleries across North Carolina, most recently in a juried show sponsored by the Elder Gallery in Charlotte, “Carolina’s Got Art.” Images of her paintings have appeared as cover art for The Musical Constellations (Unicorn Press, 2007), a book of poetry by UNCG English professor Tom Kirby-Smith, and in the journal Flyway (Iowa State University). She has also created murals and public art, including at the Jones Elementary School in Greensboro. She is a recipient of a 2009 United Arts Council Regional Artists Hub Program Grant.

For more information about the exhibit or reception, please contact Kimberly Lutz at (336) 256-8598 or at kimberly_lutz@uncg.edu.

Native American Storyteller Coming to Triad

2010-08-10T14:20:00.006-04:00

Come walk the Choctaw Road! Listen to the stories and songs of Native American culture with one of the nation’s premier storytellers, children’s book author Tim Tingle. The University Libraries at UNC Greensboro are proud to present Mr. Tingle at two free public performances, one in Greensboro and one in Winston-Salem.

September 13, 2010 at 7 p.m. at the Elliott University Center Auditorium on the UNCG Campus
September 11, 2010 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the BOOKMARKS Festival in Winston-Salem

An Oklahoma Choctaw, Tim Tingle is a renowned concert performer, an accomplished author, and a popular keynote speaker. As a storyteller, he delivers lively historical and traditional stories, accompanying himself on the Native American flute and singing Choctaw songs to the rhythms of a whale skin drum.

UNCG Archives Supports Smithsonian Channel Documentary on the Greensboro Four

2010-07-13T14:03:00.005-04:00

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has long been a primary source of archival information on the Greensboro Sit-ins.

Now UNCG archivists are working with the Smithsonian Channel to supply background and images for a new documentary on the Sit-ins, which began in February 1, 1960.

The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives sent Smithsonian more than 30 images and transcripts of oral history interviews with several UNCG (then Woman’s College) alums who were involved in the Sit-ins during that first week.

“Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4” premieres on Smithsonian Sunday, July 25, airing at 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. The premiere comes on the 50th anniversary of the day Woolworth’s desegregated its lunch counters.

The Greensboro Sit-ins began when four young black men from North Carolina A&T State College sat down at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in downtown Greensboro and asked to be served. Their actions sparked a six-month peaceful protest that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement.

“We have material no one else in town seems to have,” says Hermann Trojanowski, interim university archivist. “People have come to us for years, particularly this year before the 50th anniversary.”

Trojanowski worked with Smithsonian from mid-April to mid-May, devoting an estimated 20 hours to the project.

For more on “Justice,” visit http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/sn/show.do?show=136657.
And watch the end credits closely to catch UNCG University Archives and Manuscripts.

UNCG Wins $900,000 Grant to Recruit Minority Librarians

2010-07-06T13:05:00.001-04:00

A federal grant of almost $900,000 will help the Department of Library and Information Studies recruit minority students. The $889,401 grant is one of 39 awarded during this grant cycle by the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS received 110 applications requesting more than $68,242,619.

The grant results from a team effort between Library and Information Studies and University Libraries. The funds will be used to recruit 15 minority students into the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program. The grant covers tuition and fees, student health insurance, stipends and expenses to attend a national conference.

The program also provides the students with internship opportunities at 10 participating academic libraries in North Carolina, pairs them with experienced librarians for mentoring and offers them cultural enrichment activities during the two-year MLIS program.

Dean Rosann Bazirjian Elected Delegate to OCLC Global Council

2010-07-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

Dean Rosann Bazirjian of the University Libraries is one of fourteen librarians who were elected recently to represent the Americas Regional Council on the OCLC Global Council.

Comprised of members from libraries and cultural heritage organizations in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States, the Americas Regional Council is one of three regional councils that are part of OCLC’s new governance structure to facilitate member-to-member discussions. The Council is the primary means through which members offer feedback on OCLC products, services, programs and policies through OCLC’s Global Council, and help shape the future of the cooperative.

Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 171 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources.

Innovation and Program Enrichment Grant Given by University Libraries

2010-07-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

In January 2010, Rosann Bazirjian, Dean of the University Libraries at UNCG, established the University Libraries Innovation and Program Enrichment Grant for the purpose of enhancing and expanding library services and programs. On June 3, two project proposals were selected to share the inaugural award. Congratulations are in order for Beth Filar Williams, Coordinator of Library Services for Distance Education, and the team of Cathy L. Griffith, Assistant Head of Access Services, and Mary Ann Graham, 24/5 Night Manager. Filar Williams will work with a graduate student from the Department of Library and Information Studies to create an “Instructional Technology Toolbox” resource for use by UNCG librarians, LIS faculty, and students. Griffith and Graham will work with Dr. Sara Littlejohn in the UNCG Writing Center and the University Libraries Reference and Instructional Services department to provide late night, in-library assistance to student writers prior to exams.

Both the University Writing Center and the Department of Library and Information Studies are enthusiastic about these new cooperative endeavors. Writing Center Director Dr. Littlejohn comments that “the Writing Center is very pleased to partner with the Libraries in this effort to extend services to students who want and need them outside of traditional office hours." LIS Department Chair Dr. Clara Chu observes that “the creation of an online Instructional Technology Toolbox will have significant cumulative effects for the LIS program, providing distance students a single point of contact and portal to assist their academic work and creating yet another opportunity for LIS faculty and students to work with UNCG librarians on innovative new technologies and their application.” Both projects will be completed by June 30, 2011.

Friends of the UNCG Libraries Elect Officers and Directors

2010-06-03T16:21:00.009-04:00

Dr. Rebekah (Becky) Megerian of Asheboro has been elected chairperson of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, and Mr. Lance Elko, vice-chair. Both were elected at the recently annual meeting of the Friends, which featured a presentation by radio host and journalist Frank Stasio of WUNC.

Dr.Megerian was born in Mooresville, North Carolina, and is the daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. Andrew McKnitt Henderson. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from North Carolina State University and did graduate work at the University of Toronto before returning to North Carolina to work in the North Carolina Community College System. She taught English at North Carolina State University, the University of Toronto, and Lenoir Community College before joining the faculty at Randolph Community College in Asheboro in 1980. In 1994 she received a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2008 she retired from Randolph Community College as dean of Basic Skills. She has lived in Asheboro since 1981 with her husband Jonathan Megerian, a criminal defense attorney. Her daughter Anne Megerian is a student at Guilford College, and her daughter Margaret Megerian Ham practices law with her father.

Mr. Elko is a veteran editor of 27 years in consumer and trade publishing.” He currently works for Pace Communications as editor of US Airways Magazine, a monthly in-flight publication. Since 1983. Elko has worked as editor or editorial director for five publishing companies, all with consumer target audiences. A native of Philadelphia, Elko has also lived in New York, Tennessee and Georgia. He has lived with his wife and three children in North Carolina for the past twenty-five years. In addition to a love for words (he faithfully tackles the NY Times crosswords) and literature, he has a special fondness for Civil War history, sports, and music. He has worked on and off as a professional musician (guitar) most recently playing solo engagements (original acoustic compositions). Elko has a B.A. in English Lit. from Eastern University in St. David’s Pennsylvania, and an M.A. in English Lit. from Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Other newly-elected Board members include Ms. Robin Sutton Anders, Mr. David Arneke, Mr. Ned Cline, Ms. Carol Cone Douglas, Ms. Nancy Fuller, Mr. Jim Schlosser, Dr. Charles Sullivan, and Ms. Laura Tew, all of Greensboro. Re-elected to the Board was Mr. Selby Bateman, also of Greensboro.

Stacey Krim Honored with Staff Service Award

2010-05-25T14:10:00.005-04:00

The University Libraries Staff Service Award was established in 1997 upon the retirement of Martha Ransley, former Head of the Circulation Department,"to recognize and reward members of the SPA library staff who provide outstanding leadership and service in furthering the accomplishment of the mission of the Library to provide service to students, faculty, staff and members of the community which the University serves."

The 2010 University Libraries’ Staff Service Award was presented to Stacey Krim in May. Stacey works in Jackson Library, where she coordinates commercial serials binding among the Cataloging, Access Services, Music Library, Preservation and Binding departments. She also creates and maintains procedures for NC DOCKS institutional repository materials, and reformats, digitizes or collaborates with various departments for major serials cancellations and closeout projects. Stacey has been active in making the library more inclusive, sharing knowledge, and working collaboratively across library departments, with the LIS department, and the campus as whole. She has served on diversity and preservation related projects, committees and service, supported wellness efforts and represented the library at numerous campus events.

Downloadable eAudio Books

2010-05-19T13:13:00.005-04:00

On April 15, 2010, the University Libraries at UNCG, through NC LIVE, began offering a new collection of downloadable audio books via Ingram Digital's MyiLibrary Audio Book Platform. The initial collection contained 750 titles, focusing primarily on language learning, history, biography, and classic literature. The eAudio content is downloadable to either an iPod or MP3 player, and playable on a PC or Mac computer.

On Friday, May 14, NC LIVE added the second installment of downloadable audio books to it's new collection, available from: http://uncgreensboro.myilibraryaudio.com/. As with the previous installment, the new titles were made available with an LSTA grant from the State Library of North Carolina. The new titles include approximately 250 new titles, as well as additional copies of previously owned content. The collection now contains nearly 1300 copies of audio books for public and academic libraries across the state.

Each audio book user will need to set up their own personal "bookshelf" within MyiLibrary, which functions much like a shopping cart. After adding items to their bookshelf, patrons can then download their audio book and listen directly from their computer, or add it to their iPod or MP3 player.

For books that are unavailable because all copies are checked out, patrons can place a hold. An email notification will let the patron know when their book is available for download.

Shakespeare on the Lawn

2010-05-06T10:22:00.018-04:00

We had a great turnout at our second annual sonnetfest, held on Friday, April 23. Friends, faculty, staff, and students read all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets in under three hours. The weather cooperated, and we celebrated in style with cake! Hope you can join us next year.

Former Library Director Jim Thompson Dies

2010-04-15T11:19:00.009-04:00

Jim was Library Director from 1970 to 1988 and then he taught in the History Dept until his retirement in 1994. Associate Dean of the University Libraries Kathy Crowe notes that during his tenure our collections and staff grew to support UNCG's expanding research and professional programs in addition to the physical space. Jim was responsible for planning and opening the Library Tower that is now a prominent campus landmark. We also purchased our first online catalog while he was here. He is remembered as an outstanding colleague, teacher, leader, and friend.

James Howard Thompson, 75, of 4020 Crown Hill Drive, Durham, died at UNC Memorial Hospital on April 13, 2010, after a long illness. Born on August 20, 1934, in Memphis, TN, he was the son of Curtis Thompson and Clara Terry Thompson. He graduated from Rhodes College in 1955 and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957 and 1961 and his M.S. in Library Science at the University of Illinois in 1963. Dr. Thompson was on the faculty at Duke University 1963-65, at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, 1965-66, and at the University of Colorado 1966-68. He was Director of the Undergraduate Library and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1968-70. In 1970 he became Director of Libraries and professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he retired in 1994. He had many interests, including music, politics, baseball, and traveling. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Margareta Örtenblad Thompson, his brother and sister-in-law Curtis and Sally Thompson of Bainbridge Island, Washington, his daughter and son in law Anna and James Turley of Raleigh, son and daughter-in-law Howard and Nancy Thompson of Austin, Texas, step-son and daughter-in-law Ralph and Silvia Kirschner of Hamburg, Germany, and five much loved grandchildren, Jake, Erik, Caroline, Curtis and Luci. He was a parishioner of the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill. A graveside service for family and close friends will be held Saturday, April 17, at noon at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery. No flowers please. He would prefer gifts be directed to Rhodes College, Memphis, TN.
Published in The (Raleigh) News & Observer on April 15, 2010

Stasio Headlines Annual Friends Dinner

2010-04-07T13:35:00.004-04:00

Frank Stasio, a familiar voice to National Public Radio listeners, headlines the annual Friends of the UNCG University Libraries Dinner Monday, May 10.

Stasio, who currently hosts WUNC’s “The State of Things,” will speak on “The State of Conversation.”

For the past four years, Stasio, a Buffalo, N.Y., native, has immersed himself in the culture, lore, and history of North Carolina. His studio acts as a salon, where Stasio has perfected the art of conversation with everyone from folk musicians to politicians to hound breeders to beauty queens, gaining a unique perspective on his adopted state. He will address the question of what it means to be a North Carolinian in 2010.

Stasio was named permanent host of “The State of Things” in June 2006. Visit “The State of Things” on the web at http://wunc.org/programs/tsot/.

He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's news director. From there he went to National Public Radio, where he rose from associate producer to newscaster for “All Things Considered.” He left that job in 1990 to help start an alternative school in Washington, D.C.

Stasio returned to NPR as a freelance news anchor, guest host of “Talk of the Nation” and other national programs, and host of special news coverage. He also presents audio theater workshops for children and teachers and conducts radio journalism workshops for broadcasters in former Soviet-bloc countries. He lives in Durham.

Stasio’s presentation begins at 8 p.m. A reception and seated dinner precede the program. The reception begins at 6 p.m., the dinner at 6:30 p.m. The dinner takes place in Cone Ballroom, Elliott University Center, on the UNCG campus. Complimentary parking is offered in the Walker Avenue parking deck.

Tickets to the event support the UNCG University Libraries. Tickets for the dinner and program are $45 for Friends members and $55 for non-members, and must be ordered by May 4. Program-only tickets are $12 each, and may be purchased on a space-available basis up until 8 p.m. the day of the program.

Call the University Box Office at (336) 334-4849 or visit http://www.uncg.edu/euc/boxoffice/ for tickets.

Celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday on April 23

2010-04-06T10:26:00.009-04:00

Once again, the University Libraries, along with the Department of English and the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts, are celebrating Shakespeare's birthday. Please join us on Friday, April 23 from 2:00-5:30 pm on the lawn in front of Jackson Library--right by the McIver statue. A dedicated group of students, faculty, and library staff will read aloud all of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. And, when we finish, we will eat cake! Come in costume, stay for fabulous prizes, and enjoy the Bard's immortal words. If you would like to volunteer to read sonnets, please contact Kimberly Lutz at 256-8598 or kimberly_lutz@uncg.edu. Check out Irma Minerva's podcast for even more information.

Thompson-Cannino Talks about ‘Picking Cotton’ April 8

2010-03-18T11:46:00.012-04:00

College student Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint in 1984 by a man who broke into her Burlington apartment while she slept. Her identification of Ronald Cotton as her attacker led to his conviction.

Cotton maintained his innocence and after more than a decade in Raleigh’s Central Prison was exonerated by a DNA test. When Cotton met Thompson-Cannino two years later they began an unlikely friendship. With Erin Torneo, they tell their story
in the New York Times Bestseller “Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption.”

Thompson-Cannino will give a free, public talk and sign copies of the book from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, April 8, in the UNCG Alumni House, Virginia Dare Room. The event is sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Friends of the UNCG Libraries.

The DNA test that exonerated Cotton implicated someone else in the DNA databank, Bobby Poole. Poole actually had been in Central Prison at the same time as Cotton and had told people that he raped Thompson. Poole was convicted of the crime.

In addition to demonstrating the value of DNA testing, the case raises questions about the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Thompson-Cannino says she studied her attacker during the crime in hopes of identifying him later, but she mistakenly chose Cotton out of a photo array and a lineup.

The story has been covered by a number of programs, including:
• 60 Minutes Part I and Part II
• The Today Show
• The Diane Rehm Show
• All Things Considered
Originally published in 2009, “Picking Cotton” is now available in paperback and has been chosen as the 2010 freshman read at UNC Chapel Hill.

T

Fred Chappell Fiction Reading on March 18

2010-03-11T10:47:00.005-05:00

The MFA Writing Program at UNC Greensboro, The Greensboro Review, and The UNCG Center for Creative Writing in the Arts will host a fiction reading by Fred Chappell on Thursday, March 18th at 7 PM in the UNCG Faculty Center on College Avenue. The reading will celebrate the release of Chappell’s latest book, Ancestors and Others. It is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception and book signing.

Fred Chappell is the author of more than twenty books of poetry and fiction. He has received many major prizes, including the Bollingen Prize in Poetry from Yale University and the Award in Literature from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

Library Express’ Streamlines Research for Students, Faculty

2010-03-10T09:02:00.003-05:00

For decades the research and academic libraries across the UNC system have leveraged their collections and those of other research libraries in the region to reduce costs and make the greatest range of materials available to faculty and students.

Now, with one easy system on the web, patrons can search the library catalog of all 17 institutions in the system and have the materials they need delivered in days. UNC Library Express makes library materials across the state easy to find and quick to obtain.

Students, faculty and staff at UNCG can search available resources across the system through UNC Library Express by starting at library.uncg.edu and following the library catalog links. Books and other item are delivered by UPS Ground service, usually within three days of the request. The end result: UNC Library Express increases the number and variety of books and other resources available to all members of the UNC system community, whether they are teaching or learning on campus or through distance education.

UNC Library Express supports the ongoing UNC Tomorrow initiative, which calls for addressing the UNC community’s needs from a system-wide perspective, maximizing resources and efficiency, and avoiding unnecessary duplication. It should also facilitate improvement of public education, economic transformation, health, environment and outreach. By increasing statewide access to critical education and research materials, UNC Library Express also meets several of the key goals laid out in the 2006 President’s Advisory Committee on Efficiency and Effectiveness (PACE) report.

What Happened to African-American Families Separated by Slavery After Emancipation?

2010-02-25T12:08:00.006-05:00

Please join us in the Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 4, for a lecture by UNC Chapel Hill History professor Heather Williams. Dr. Williams' talk, "Help Me to Find My People: Searching for Family After Slavery Ended," is the final lecture in our "Forever Free" series. We were especially interested in bringing Dr. Williams to campus as our last speaker as her current research focuses on the immediate after effects of emancipation on Southern black families, picking up where our exhibit ends.

Dr. Williams, whose first book, Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom, received numerous awards, has been at Chapel Hill since 2004. Before turning to academia, Dr. Williams taught at the high school level, winning a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship. Dr. Williams also had a distinguished legal career, working for the Department of Justice, the US Attorney's Office, and Miracle Makers. She is currently working on a new book project, Information Wanted: Separation and Reunification of African American Families in 19th Century America.

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Kimberly Lutz at 336-256-8598 or kimberly_lutz@uncg.edu.

Abraham Lincoln talk on Thursday, February 18

2010-02-12T15:57:00.005-05:00

"Did Abe Lincoln Really Free the Slaves?" Join us as noted legal scholar Dr. Paul Finkelman provides his perspective on Lincoln's role in ending slavery in America. Dr. Finkelman, who has appeared in such documentaries as Ken Burns' Thomas Jefferson as well as Up for Grabs, a documentary about Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball, is an expert on Abraham Lincoln and nineteenth-century American history. The editor of the comprehensive The Political Lincoln: An Encyclopedia (2009), Finkelman also served as an advisor to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Dr. Finkelman was a plenary speaker at the 150th anniversary commemoration of John Brown's raid of Harper Ferry last Fall. He also served as an expert witness in Harvard Law School's retrial of the Dred Scott v. Sanford case, an event that drew the participation of Kenneth Starr and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Dr. Finkelman's lecture is the fourth in the University Libraries' "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation" series. This talk is free and open to the public. 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 18, Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House.

Join us for a celebration of a very special collection!

2010-02-04T14:37:00.011-05:00

Remember Pollyanna, Trixie Belden, and Nancy Drew? They, along with their sisters in American children's fiction, have been collected and preserved as part of the UNCG University Libraries' Girls Books in Series Collection. This remarkable compilation of serial literature (1840s-1970s), which includes nearly 2,800 volumes from more than 500 series, is the strongest in the country. In out stacks, researchers are able to trace the history of American girlhood as depicted in the pages of these well-loved stories.

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries invite you to join us for a tea and a talk about this jewel of a collection. Professor Joe Sutliff Sanders, a professor from Cal State San Bernardino, is an active user of the UNCG Libraries' Special Collections. He will share his research in a talk entitled, "Classic Girls, Modern Stories." Tea and cookies will follow, along with an exhibit of many of the books.

Please join us from 2-4 pm in the Hodges Reading Room of Jackson Library on Monday, February 15. Seating is limited, so to reserve your spot, please RSVP to Kimberly Lutz at kimberly_lutz@uncg.edu or 336.256.8598 by Wednesday, February 10.>

Forever Free exhibit special events January 21-February 7

2010-01-28T17:14:00.002-05:00

Forever Free Exhibit Special Events January 31-February 7:

Sunday, January 31 --Former Museum Director Bill Moore will speak on "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: The Greensboro Connection" at the Greensboro Historical Museum at 3:00 p.m. (In the event of inclement winter weather this weekend, as predicted, contact the Museum to see if the event is still on: 336-373-2043). The Museum, not UNCG, will make the call on whether the event goes on as scheduled.

Thursday, February 4: Lecture by Dr. Thomas J. Brown, University of South Carolina, “The Civil War in Modern Eyes.” Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG campus, 7 p.m.

Sunday, February 7: African American Music in the Time of Lincoln Greensboro councilwoman and “Song” Storyteller T. Dianne Bellamy-Small & friends will present an inspirational performance of black spirituals of the 19th century. Central Library, Greensboro Public Library, 219 N. Church St., 3 p.m.

From January 25 through March 5, the University Libraries at UNCG play host to a very special exhibit: "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation." The exhibit, which fills a long wall on one side of the Jackson Library Reading Room, explores Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator." In conjunction with the exhibit, the University Libraries are bringing several speakers to campus, with more in February and early March.

Organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), this traveling exhibition is made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

Locally, this project is made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and through the support of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, the N.C. Civil War Roundtable and the UNCG History Club.

Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation exhibit to open Monday, January 25

2010-01-21T15:51:00.014-05:00

Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation exhibit is now installed in the Jackson Library Reading Room at UNC Greensboro. I hope you will enjoy it.

From January 25 through March 5, the University Libraries plays host to a very special exhibit: "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation." The exhibit, which fills a wall of the Jackson Library Reading Room, explores Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator." In conjunction with the exhibit, the University Libraries are bringing several speakers to campus, with more in February and early March, and our partners at the Greensboro Historical Museum and Greensboro Public Library also have events scheduled to coincide with the exhibit.

Next week's Forever Free program events:
Tuesday, January 26 - Dr. Loren Schweninger, UNCG History Department, "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery." at 7:00 pm in the Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus. Free.

Wednesday, January 27 -Former Senator George McGovern will sign copies of his 2009 book, Abraham Lincoln, and discuss what drew him to the subject. Reception immediately following. 3:30 pm in Jackson Library Reading Room, UNCG Campus. Senator McGovern will also speak that evening at 7 pm at the premiere screening of UNCG Professor Matt Barr's film, Hungry for Green: Feeding the World Sustainably, which McGovern narrates. The screening will be held in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. Both events are free.

Sunday, January 31 --Former Museum Director Bill Moore will speak on "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: The Greensboro Connection" at the Greensboro Historical Museum at 3:00 p.m.

Organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), this traveling exhibition is made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

Locally, this project is made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and through the support of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, the N.C. Civil War Roundtable and the UNCG History Club.

Upcoming Book and Author Events in the Triad

2010-01-06T14:42:00.007-05:00

Happy new year from the University Libraries at UNCG.
Here are book and author events in the Triad that I know about during January 2010.

FREE Friends of the UNCG Libraries Events

Monday, January 25: Friends of the UNCG Libraries Book Discussion of This One and Magic Life, by Anne Carroll George, led by Bill Carroll of the UNCG School of Music. Free, but registration is suggested at http://library.uncg.edu/fol/register/

From January 25 through March 5, the University Libraries will play host to a very special exhibit: "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation." The exhibit, which will fill the Jackson Library Reading Room, explores Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator." In conjunction with the exhibit, the University Libraries are bringing several speakers to campus, with more in February and early March:

Tuesday, January 26 _-Dr. Loren Schweninger, UNCG History Department, "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery." at 7:00 pm in the Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Wednesday, January 27 --Former Senator George McGovern will sign copies of his 2009 book, Abraham Lincoln, and discuss what drew him to the subject. Reception immediately following. 3:30 pm in Jackson Library Reading Room, UNCG Campus.

Check out http://library.uncg.edu/depts/admin/lincoln/ for more information about these events and for a list of other events in connection with the exhibit which are being hosted by the Greensboro Public Library and the Greensboro Historical Museum. And, to register for the FOL Book Discussion on James McPherson's Lincoln, on Monday, February 22, please visit http://library.uncg.edu/fol/register/.

Other book and author events at UNCG during January:

Tuesday January 26, 2010: UNCG’s Center for Creative Writing in the Arts will host a bilingual reading [Spanish, English] and book signing by internationally acclaimed Costa Rican author Ana Istarú at 7:30 pm in the university’s Faculty Center on College Avenue. Istarú will be reading from Fever Season, a collection of her selected poetry, translated by Mark Smith-Soto. The event, co-sponsored by the UNCG department of Romance Languages and the Community Bookstore, will be free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Wednesday January 27, 2010: Istarú will also read poetry and perform scenes from her plays, in Spanish only, at 4:00 pm in the third floor faculty lounge of the MHRA building, located at the corner of Spring Garden and Forest Streets. The event is free and open to the public.
For further information on both events, contact Mark Smith-Soto at 336-334-4433.

Other book and author events in the Triad during January that may be of interest (in date order):

Friday January 08, 2010: Don Bolden signs Images of America: Burlington, North Carolina
Don Bolden, editor emeritus of the Burlington Times News, discusses his new pictorial.
6:00 PM
Barnes and Noble, Burlington
Alamance Crossing Shopping Center, 3125 Waltham Blvd, Burlington, NC 27215, 336-584-0869

Thursday, January 14, 2010: Discussion with local author David Noer in conjunction with his new book, Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organization.
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Greensboro
Friendly Center, 3102 Northline Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27408, 336-854-4200

Saturday, January 16, 2010: UNCG professor Jennifer Etnier, author of Bring Your "A" Game: A Young Athlete's Guide to Mental Toughness, signs copies of her book.
2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Burlington
Burlington, NC

Tuesday January 19, 2010: Fred Chappell Author Reading
Many people think of Fred Chappell as a southern writer, but all of his work is rooted in the Appalachian culture where he grew up. Ancestors and Others is a collection of stories that has something for everyone from ghosts to folk fables and family.
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Greensboro
Friendly Center, 3102 Northline Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27408, 336-854-4200

Friday, January 22, 2010: Greensboro author, Nancy Gotter Gates reads from her new book, Sand Castles.
Brown Bag Author Lunch program at the Greensboro Public Library – Central Library
219 North Church Street
Contact Beth Sheffield 373-3617

Thursday January 28, 2010: Survivor contestant and Christian speaker Austin Carty talks about his memoir, High Points and Lows.
7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Greensboro
Friendly Center, 3102 Northline Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27408, 336-854-4200

Saturday January 30, 2010: Pulitzer-winning journalist Leonard Pitts, Jr. reads from his most recent book, Forward from This Moment: Selected Columns, 1994-2008. This book is a collection of his best newspaper columns along with some longer pieces.
3:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Greensboro
Friendly Center, 3102 Northline Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27408, 336-854-4200

Upcoming events at UNCG:

Through March 5, 2010—The touring exhibit, Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation, housed in the Jackson Library Reading Room on the UNCG campus continues with the following events, plus others at the Greensboro Public Library and the Greensboro Historical Museum. See complete list at http://library.uncg.edu/depts/admin/lincoln/ .

• Thursday, February 4 --Dr. Thomas J. Brown, University of South Carolina History Department, “The Civil War in Modern Eyes.” at 7:00 pm Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.
• Thursday, February 18 --Dr. Paul Finkelman, Albany School of Law, "Did Abe Lincoln Really Free the Slaves?" at 7:00 pm Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.
• Thursday, March 4 --Dr. Heather Williams, UNC Chapel Hill History Department, "Help Me to Find My People: Searching for Family After Slavery Ended." at 7:00 pm Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Thursday, April 8, 2010: Jennifer Thompson Cannino, co-author of Picking Cotton. Sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries and the UNCG Sociology Department
Virginia Dare Room, UNCG

Monday, May 10, 2010: Friends of the UNCG Libraries Annual Dinner with Frank Stasio, host of The State of Things, on WUNC radio. (ticketed event, admission charged, details forthcoming)

Notable events elsewhere:

Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Famed children's book author Jan Brett will be at the Barnes & Noble in Winston Salem with her new book, The Easter Egg
5:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, Winston Salem
1925 Hampton Inn Court, Winston Salem, NC 27103, 336-774-0800.

Abraham Lincoln . . . coming soon to Jackson Library

2010-01-04T09:41:00.003-05:00

From January 25 through March 5, the University Libraries will play host to a very special exhibit: "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation." The exhibit, which will fill the Jackson Library Reading Room, explores Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator."

In conjunction with the exhibit, the University Libraries are bringing several speakers to campus:

Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00 pm--Dr. Loren Schweninger, UNCG History Department, "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery." Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Wednesday, January 27 at 3:30 pm--Former Senator George McGovern will sign copies of his 2009 book, Lincoln, and discuss what drew him to the subject. Reception immediately following. Jackson Library Reading Room, UNCG Campus.

Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 pm--Dr. Thomas J. Brown, University of South Carolina History Department, “The Civil War in Modern Eyes.” Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Thursday, February 18 at 7:00 pm--Dr. Paul Finkelman, Albany School of Law, "Did Abe Lincoln Really Free the Slaves?" Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Thursday, March 4 at 7:00 pm--Dr. Heather Williams, UNC Chapel Hill History Department, "Help Me to Find My People: Searching for Family After Slavery Ended." Virginia Dare Room, Alumni House, UNCG Campus.

Check out http://library.uncg.edu/depts/admin/lincoln/ for more information about these events and for a list of events hosted by the Greensboro Public Library and the Greensboro Historical Museum. And, to register for the FOL Book Discussion on James McPherson's Lincoln, on Monday, February 22, please visit http://library.uncg.edu/fol/register/.

The "Forever Free" exhibit was organized by the Huntington Library and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in cooperation with the American Library Association, and made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Locally, this project is also made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and through the support of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, the NC Civil War Roundtable, and the UNCG History Club.

The University Libraries launch wonderful genealogical and historical research tool

2009-12-15T10:27:00.007-05:00

Earlier this semester, the University Libraries officially launched "The Digital Library on American Slavery," a free resource that enables anyone with access to the Internet to search through thousands of court and legislative petitions dealing with slavery in the American South (1776-1867). Just click on http://library.uncg.edu/slavery/.

What might you find? The Digital Library includes records on 83,000 individual slaves from 15 southern states and Washington D.C. Each slave is named in the records, and in some cases the Digital Library includes other identifying information, such as specific skills and family relationships. The records include documentation on slaves who ran away, on free blacks seeking to purchase family members out of slavery, and on slaveowners petitioning to reverse wills, among many other topics. Already, amateur genealogists are turning to the site for information on their family histories, and we have heard from the descendants of slaves and slaveowners alike who have found information in the resource.

The resource is also a treasure trove for historians and teachers. In it you find stories of people like James, "a slave belonging to Will Armistead of New Kent county" (Virginia) who served as a spy for the Marquis Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. James "intreats that he may be granted that Freedom, which he flatters himself he has in some degree contributed to establish." Another entry tells of Maria Townes, an enslaved minor in New Orleans who claims to be a free white woman and is petitioning to stop her imminent sale. Other records reveal family tragedies. To give just one example, Christian Limbaugh of Rowan County, NC, sues for divorce in 1805, claiming that his wife has given birth to and "barbously murdered" a mullatto child. While his wife was convicted of this crime (and later pardoned by the governor), the state denies his request for divorce.

The Digital Library of American Slavery grew out of the Race and Slavery Petitions Project, directed by Loren Schweninger (the Elizabeth Rosenthal Excellence Professor in History at UNCG). Established in 1991, the Race and Slavery Petitions Project was designed to locate, collect, organize, and publish all extant legislative petitions and a selected group of 14,500 county court petitions relevant to race and slavery. The Project has received support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and The University of North Carolina Greensboro. The Digital Library on American Slavery is the final phase of this project.

100 Most Notable Books of the Year!

2009-12-03T09:54:00.004-05:00

Just in time for holiday gift giving, The New York Times has published its list of the 100 most notable books of the year. You can see the full list at http://www.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2009/100-notable-books-of-2009-gift-guide/list.html?ref=books.

The University Libraries make some of these books available through our Current Literature program. You can find many bestsellers and award winners on the first floor of Jackson Library in the reading room across from the Reference Desk. I just checked out Wolf Hall, one of the books that made the NYT list. This Booker Prize winner is set in Tudor England, and is told from Thomas Cromwell's perspective. I will be returning it in two weeks, and I highly recommend it!

Friends Sponsor Stress-Free Zone in Jackson Library

2009-12-02T11:54:00.005-05:00

Approaching finals week can be stressful. This year, the University Libraries, thanks in part to sponsorship by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, is offering students a chance to chill out. Students can take a break and play games with their friends in the reading room of Jackson Library while library staff serve up cookies and lemonade. Ace Candyland this week, and maybe Organic Chemistry will seem like a snap next week! Come see the students at play on Thursday, December 3 from 1-7pm.

Eric Shoaf Donates Collection to UNCG in Honor of his Mother, Class of ‘52

2009-11-05T13:33:00.006-05:00

The UNCG Libraries have received a donation by Eric C. Shoaf of a collection of books on the history of the guitar in popular music given in honor of his mother, Jane Sarsfield Shoaf, Class of 1952. The collection includes more than 500 items, focusing on guitar selections, biographies on great master guitarists, guitar repairs, and guitar learning courses. Eric is the Assistant Dean for Administration of the Library at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Sarah Dorsey, Head of Music Library at UNCG, was very impressed by the rich contents of the donated collection. She praises the generosity of Eric Shoaf and points out that the fact that our library has not been collecting in this area for years means that this gift fills a long-standing gap in our collection. “Our students and faculty will benefit for years to come,” Ms. Dorsey commented. Mac Nelson, Cello Cataloger at UNCG and a life-long guitarist, also offers his insight to this collection, “it is comprehensive in its coverage not only of guitarists but also of the instrument itself. Many of the books are stunningly beautiful as well as substantive and authoritative.”

To acknowledge this donation, a bookplate was designed and is placed in each book. An acknowledgement note is also present in the Libraries’ online cataloging to recognize the donation.

Pulitzer Winner Nazario Speaks at UNCG on November 16

2009-11-03T16:48:00.007-05:00

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario visits UNCG Monday, November 16, to discuss her book, Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother.

Nazario will address the greater Greensboro community from 7-9 p.m. in the Sullivan Science Building Auditorium. This session is free and open to the public. From 3-4 pm, Nazario will speak to UNCG students, faculty and staff in Cone Ballroom, Elliott University Center. Book signings will follow both presentations. Copies of Enrique’s Journey are available in the UNCG Bookstore.

The UNCG University Libraries, the English Department, the Lloyd International Honors College, the Human Rights Research Network, Housing and Residence Life and the Graduate Student Association are sponsoring Nazario’s visit.

UNCG chose Enrique’s Journey, the true story of a Honduran boy’s struggle to find his mother in the United States, as the 2009-10 All Campus Read. Over 1,500 students at UNCG are reading Enrique’s Journey this semester, and the book is being taught in composition, history, sociology, and upper-division English classes.

Enrique’s story reveals the desperation that propels a growing number of Central American children to abandon their homes and risk their lives to re-unite with family members in the United States.

Sixteen-year-old Enrique, yearning for the mother who left for America eleven years before to earn money for his care, sets off alone from the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, with little more than a slip of paper bearing his mother’s North Carolina telephone number. Without money, food, or protection, he makes the dangerous and illegal trek up the length of Mexico by clinging to the sides and tops of freight trains.

Nazario, a 20-year journalism veteran who currently writes for the L.A. Times, spent months researching Enrique’s story. She joined the thousands of children who travel alone atop El Tren de la Muerte (The Train of Death) and witnessed firsthand the terrors they face. Her series about Enrique in the Times won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.

Faculty, staff, students and guests are also invited to attend the fourth-annual One Book, Many Voices Conference on Friday, November 13th in the Elliot University Center. At the conference, dozens of UNCG students will present their research and creative projects inspired by “Enrique's Journey.” The conference is a unique feature of UNCG's All Campus Read Program, giving students an opportunity to share their innovative work in a public forum. The conference will be held from 9am to 2pm and will consist of 1-hour panels of presentations. Guests are welcome to attend as many sessions as they would like. There is no charge.

Please call Kimberly Lutz at 336. 256.8598 for more information about these events.